HM Treasury

Welfare Tax Credits

Mike Weir: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what service level agreements HM Revenue and Customs has with Concentrix for turnaround time on tax credit queries; and what assessment he has made of the contractor's performance in meeting those targets in each of the last 12 months.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) contract with SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited, signed in May 2014, provides additional capacity to review and correct tax credit claims that are potentially based on incorrect information.   Full details of the contractual arrangements, including agreed performance indicators, put in place in respect of the intervention service can be found at https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/85d1b730-5e4e-4be8-ae4c-3ac1f359afc7   HMRC regularly monitors the performance of contractors but, due to the commercially sensitive nature of this information, it does not disclose such information.

Welfare Tax Credits: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households in Preston constituency he forecasts will be subject to a reduction in tax credits as a result of changes announced in the Summer Budget 2015; and what estimate he has made of the average such reduction per household.

Damian Hinds: This information is not available.   Information about the number of benefitting families and average entitlement in the Preston constituency in the tax year 2013-14 can be found in the publication ‘Personal tax credits: Finalised award statistics – geographical statistics 2013-2014’ here:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-tax-credits-finalised-award-statistics-geographical-statistics-2013-to-2014   The Government is making changes to Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit which will help put welfare spending on a more sustainable path. The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare society. That means more emphasis on support to hardworking families on low incomes by reducing income tax through increases in the personal allowance and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.

Bank Levy

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much he forecasts will be collected from the bank levy in each year of the current Parliament.

Harriett Baldwin: From 1 January 2016 the government is also introducing a new surcharge on banking sector profits, phasing the reduction in the bank levy rate, and changing the scope of the bank levy.Together these changes taxes will raise the following from the sector:2015/16 : £3.7 billion2016/17 : £4.0 billion2017/18 : £4.3 billionThe Office for Budget Responsibility has published its forecast of the revenue raised by the bank levy in its Economic and Fiscal forecast. The changes are forecast to increase tax receipts from the banking sector by around £2 billion over the scorecard period.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how HM Revenue and Customs plans to spend the additional funding allocated to it in the Summer Budget 2015 to tackle tax avoidance.

Mr David Gauke: The Summer Budget announced significant additional investment in HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) work on non‑compliance covering a range of areas, including avoidance and evasion.   As part of this, the government will invest £800m over the Parliament and legislate for new powers to strengthen HMRC’s ability to tackle organised crime and make sure that large businesses, small and medium sized enterprises, trusts and wealthy individuals pay the tax that’s due.   Together, the investment and measures are forecast to raise £7.2bn over the Parliament.   As well as announcing additional resource for specific measures, the government also committed to provide HMRC with the funding it needs to maintain its current level of compliance performance, whilst making efficiencies.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to allocate funds raised by vehicle excise duty to renewable energy and green transport initiatives.

Damian Hinds: The Chancellor announced at Summer Budget 2015 a reform of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to create a new Roads Fund. VED will be reformed for cars first registered from 1 April 2017, existing cars will remain in the current system. From 2020-21 all revenue raised from VED in England will be allocated to the new Roads Fund and invested directly back into the strategic road network. The government will engage with the Devolved Administrations on how the money is allocated there.

Alcoholic Drinks

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support (a) small cider producers and (b) microbreweries in the UK.

Damian Hinds: The government recognises the important contribution made by small cider makers and microbrewers in helping to create a diverse and vibrant alcohol market that increases consumer choice.   Small Brewers’ Relief supports microbreweries by reducing their beer duty rate by up to 50 per cent. EU law explicitly allows member states to support microbrewers through the duty regime.   The UK is discussing reforms to EU law with the EU Commission and other member states, so that it explicitly allows member states to support small cider makers through the duty regime. The government is also looking at alternatives that could apply. The government will work with industry on both of these. As announced at Summer Budget 2015, the government will retain the current duty exemption for small cider producers until and unless a replacement scheme is established.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ian Blackford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the statement by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that increases in the minimum wage will not fully compensate for changes made to the tax credits system.

Damian Hinds: As a result of the introduction of the National Living Wage, 2.75m workers are expected to benefit directly, and up to 6m could see their pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution.   Overall, 8 out of 10 working households will be better off in 2017-18 as a result of the Summer Budget increase to the income tax personal allowance, welfare changes, and introduction of the National Living Wage. This translates to 12.5 million working households who will be better off.

Corporation Tax

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Summer Budget 2015, what estimate of the level of profits to be generated by UK banks was used to estimate the reserves to be derived from the corporation tax surcharge on banks.

Mr David Gauke: The forecasted revenue from the corporation tax surcharge is based on assumptions about the future profitability of banking groups and the location of profit within these groups.   These assumptions have been certified by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and are consistent with their forecast of financial sector corporation tax receipts which can be found here: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/July-2015-EFO-234224.pdf

Tax Evasion: Fuels

Luke Hall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect the introduction of a new fuel marker has had on the level of fuel duty fraud.

Damian Hinds: A new fuel marker, Accutrace, has been added to rebated fuel since 1 April 2015. Following its introduction, HMRC are monitoring its performance and will publish a report of their evaluation once six months’ worth of data can be analysed.   The new fuel marker and roadside testing are two elements of the fight against fuel fraud. HMRC will continue to use intelligence and data analysis to identify fraud wherever this occurs in the fuel duty supply chain.

HSBC: Tax Avoidance

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2015 to Question 261, what progress has been made on the inquiry into tax avoidance facilitated by HSBC.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is working closely with other law enforcement agencies on re-examining the data to establish any new risks. The results of this re-examination will require assessment and evaluation to determine the need for criminal or civil investigations.   This work is being carried out as expeditiously as possible. I cannot provide any further detail to avoid prejudicing any future operational activity.

Revenue and Customs

Luciana Berger: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support people who (a) do not have access to a computer or the internet or (b) are not computer and internet literate to access HM Revenue and Customs' services.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recognise that their customers' needs are varied and that some of their customers will have difficulty or would prefer not to manage their tax affairs online. It won’t be compulsory for people to interact with them digitally and they will continue to provide help and support to ensure that they can access HMRC services.   HMRC are running a digital inclusion project to design and implement their future support models for digitally excluded customers. They are about to trial an initiative using a third party to help support people without access to digital or the skills and confidence to use it.   HMRC are also actively developing our role in the Digital Friends initiative, promoting and encouraging staff to find someone they know who needs help to go online, and give them basic advice and support on skills.   Additionally, and in line with the Government Digital Service (GDS) service standard, every new or redesigned HMRC digital service must first undertake detailed research with digitally excluded customers, including those who do not have access to a computer or are not computer literate.   Service designers must use this insight to provide service specific support for digitally excluded customers, both before and at the point of contact. The focus is on helping customers to use digital, but must also provide appropriate alternative ways for customers to transact with HMRC where research shows there may be a need.   HMRC is also designing and rolling out specific training to contact handling advisers on how to recognise digitally excluded customers, and quickly identify and offer appropriate solutions that will meet their needs.

Child Tax Credit

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on changing the income threshold for child tax credit (a) in 2016-17 and (b) by 2020.

Damian Hinds: The income threshold after which payments of Child Tax Credit begin to be reduced will continue to depend on a number of factors: the first income threshold (the Working Tax Credit threshold), the taper rate (the rate at which tax credits are reduced once the first income threshold has been exceeded), and the level of uprating of the individual elements of tax credits.

Taxpayers: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the use of NHS Scotland's Central Register to identify Scottish taxpayers.

Greg Hands: No discussions have taken place between UK and Scottish Ministers on this specific issue. The decision on whether to make available NHS Scotland data to support the identification process for Scottish taxpayers is one for the Scottish Government. HMRC plans to use a variety of data sources to ensure that the identification is as accurate as possible; however HMRC’s process for identifying Scottish taxpayers does not rely on having access to this information.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 6124, what level of capital contribution will be made to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in (a) 2015 and (b) each of the following four years.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government will make a capital contribution of $3.1bn (£2bn) to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, to support much needed infrastructure investment in Asia and in turn increase global growth. 20% of this capital will be paid in and 80% of this capital will be callable. The paid in contribution will be made in five equal annual instalments with the first payment of $122.2mn (£80mn) in FY2015/16.

Block Grant: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes in the block grant to Northern Ireland will arise as a result of the Summer Budget 2015.

Greg Hands: The Barnett Formula was applied in the usual way to changes in departmental spending at Summer Budget 2015. As a result the Northern Ireland Executive will receive £3 million in additional allocations.

Tobacco: Taxation

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will instruct HM Revenue and Customs to publish its analysis of the design and potential effects of the proposed tobacco levy.

Damian Hinds: As set out in paragraph 1.213 of the Summer Budget Report, the responses to the consultation on introducing a tobacco levy will be published shortly.

Corporation Tax

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to CFC rules introduced in the 2010 Emergency Budget on corporation tax receipts in each year of the last Parliament.

Mr David Gauke: Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules are designed to protect the UK tax base by preventing multinational groups based in the UK from diverting their UK profits artificially to companies in low tax jurisdictions to reduce their UK tax bill. They work by charging UK tax on those profits and so act as a deterrent to this behaviour.   The Government reformed the Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules after close consultation with stakeholders in 2012. This was the first substantial revision to the rules since their introduction in 1984.   This modernised CFC regime, which took effect in 2013, is closely targeted on artificially diverted profits to protect the UK tax base while reflecting modern global business practices.   The Summer Budget also announced strengthening of the CFC rules to tackle aggressive tax planning by preventing UK based multinationals offsetting their losses against the UK’s CFC tax on profits they divert from the UK.   As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government will keep this legislation under review, and will act to prevent abuse of these rules.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans that agricultural vehicles will be exempt from the proposed changes to vehicle excise duty announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Damian Hinds: Agricultural vehicles used solely for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry are exempt from paying Vehicle Excise Duty.

Treasury: Tobacco

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met employees or third-party representatives of tobacco companies in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

Damian Hinds: Treasury Ministers have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the policy development and delivery process. A record of Ministerial meetings is published and updated periodically on the government website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his plans to extend the use of the private sector to improve the collection of tax credit debt will target recipients who have been overpaid due to HM Revenue and Customs error.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) seek to recover all overpayments of tax credits no matter how they have arisen, as they do with all debts.  However, HMRC error accounts for only 1.4% of overpayments.

Business: Capital Allowances

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK have declared investment in plant and machinery as covered by the Annual Investment Allowance of between £200,000 and £500,000 since 1 April 2014.

Mr David Gauke: Tax returns data from 1 April 2014 are not yet available.

Child Tax Credit

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to take into account children from previous relationships in limiting child tax credit entitlement to two children per family.

Damian Hinds: As announced at Summer Budget, families will no longer be able to claim additional support through Child Tax Credit for third or subsequent children in a family where the child is born after April 2017.   Children from previous relationships will continue to receive the Child Element in Child Tax Credit if they were born before April 2017 if the new household is eligible for Child Tax Credit.

Welfare Tax Credits

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK who are subject to the under-occupancy penalty and are likely to be affected by his proposal to limit entitlement to tax credits.

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of children living in a household that includes at least one person with a disability and which is likely to be affected by his proposal to restrict tax credit entitlement.

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK who are registered disabled and are likely to be affected by his proposal to limit entitlement to tax credits.

Damian Hinds: The Government is making changes to tax credits and Universal Credit which will help put welfare spending on a more sustainable path. The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, and high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, and lower welfare society. That means more emphasis on supporting hardworking families on low incomes by reducing income tax through increases in the personal allowance and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.   Reforms announced at the Summer Budget do not affect a family’s eligibility to the any of the disability elements in tax credits (both child and adult). The uprating of the disability elements is also exempt from the four year working age benefit freeze; these elements will continue to rise in line with inflation.   HMRC publishes information on the number of families benefitting from the disability elements. The most recent available data is for 2013/14 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2013-to-2014 Details on the number of families benefitting from the receipt of these elements, as well as the number of children in these families, is shown in Table 3.3 – 3.6.   The number of families benefitting from eligibility to the disabled worker element is also broken down geographically in Table 2 of a separate publication here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-tax-credits-finalised-award-statistics-geographical-statistics-2013-to-2014

Defence: Finance

Patrick Grady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.82 of the Summer Budget 2015, which Government departments will be allocated the funding for increased spending on military and intelligence agencies.

Greg Hands: At Summer Budget 15, the Chancellor announced: the Ministry of Defence budget will rise by 0.5 per cent a year in real terms;an additional £1.5 billion a year by the end of the Parliament will be available to the military and intelligence agencies;additional funding is conditional on the armed services and agencies producing further efficiencies within their existing budgets to ensure continued investment in the most important capabilities; andthe NATO target to spend 2 per cent a year on defence will be met throughout this Parliament.

Child Tax Credit: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Chancellor's Budget Statement of 8 July 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on families in London of proposed changes to child tax credits.

Damian Hinds: The Government is making changes to Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit which will help put welfare spending on a more sustainable path. The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare society. That means more emphasis on support to hardworking families on low incomes by reducing income tax through increases in the personal allowance and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.   The Government will set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in due course.

Capital Gains Tax

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of introducing a lower rate of capital gains tax for investments held for 10 years or more on encouraging long-term savings.

Mr David Gauke: The current structure and rates of Capital Gains Tax balance the need to raise revenue with the need to maintain simplicity for taxpayers and support investment.   In addition capital gains and income from assets held in ISAs are entirely free of tax.   Introducing a lower rate of capital gains tax for assets held longer than 10 years would need to be considered very carefully to ensure that any benefits to taxpayers and the wider economy were significant enough to warrant the added complexity this would introduce into the tax system.

Welfare State: Reform

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with charities on the proposed changes to welfare policy announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Damian Hinds: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has regular discussions with stakeholders on a wide range of topics.   The tax cuts and reforms to the welfare system move Britain from a low wage, high tax, and high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, and lower welfare society.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 5989, what estimate he has made of the cost of estimating the number of employees who receive more in tax credits than they pay in tax and national insurance contributions.

Mr David Gauke: The cost considered by the Treasury to be disproportionate is £850. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are unable to provide an answer to PQ 5989 within proportionate costs as information stored on the tax credits system does not contain data on the amount of income tax and national insurance contributions, and to match this data would incur a cost of more than £850.

Tobacco: Taxation

Luciana Berger: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.213 of the Summer Budget 2015 and paragraph 1.252 of the Autumn Statement 2014, what steps he plans to take to ask the tobacco industry to make a greater contribution to the costs imposed by smoking on society.

Damian Hinds: The government has already made significant interventions on tobacco, both to protect revenue and to promote public health. This includes the extension of the tobacco duty escalator until the end of the current Parliament and the introduction of plain packaging for tobacco products from May 2016.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Luciana Berger: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the effectiveness of the Codentify tracking and tracing system in preventing illicit trade in tobacco; and whether his Department plans to commission an independent assessment of the potential for that system to meet the requirement for a tracking and tracing system under the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

Damian Hinds: The European Commission is still considering the options for implementation of the requirement for a tracking and tracing system under the EU Tobacco Products Directive, and no potential systems will be evaluated until that work is concluded.

Inheritance Tax

Liz Kendall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the proposed increase in inheritance tax thresholds on property prices (a) nationally and (b) in each region of the UK.

Mr David Gauke: The Office for Budget Responsibility has assessed the measures relating to the housing market in the Summer Budget 2015. It estimates that they will have small and offsetting effects, and so it has not adjusted its forecast for house prices.

Department for International Development: Departmental Expenditure Limits

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2015 to Question 6473 and with reference to Tables 2.5 and 2.3 in the March and Summer Budget books, how the £1 billion reduction in the Department for International Development's Resource Department's Expenditure Limit has been reallocated.

Greg Hands: The Government remains committed to spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on official development assistance (ODA). The planned resource DEL expenditure for the Department for International Development (DFID) has decreased between March and Summer Budget by approximately £1bn because every year at Main Estimates in July DFID transfers ODA funding to other government departments to help meet the government’s overall international development objectives. This is purely a timing issue. The decrease in DFID’s resource budget for 2015/16 is reflected as increases to other government department’s resource budgets. For example, over £700m of the £1bn transfer from DFID to other departments made at Main Estimates is to FCO for the Conflict, Security and Stabilisation Fund (CSSF). The total planned DEL spend in 2015/16 across Government on ODA did not change between March and Summer budgets. DFID publishes actual ODA spent by departments, of which the latest provisional figures are available for 2014.

Department for International Development: Departmental Expenditure Limits

Mary Creagh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2015 to Question 6473 and with reference to Tables 2.5 and 2.3 in the March and Summer Budget books, why there is a £1 billion reduction in the Department for International Development's Resource Department's Expenditure Limit.

Greg Hands: The Government remains committed to spending 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) on official development assistance (ODA). The planned resource DEL expenditure for the Department for International Development (DFID) has decreased between March and Summer Budget by approximately £1bn because every year at Main Estimates in July DFID transfers ODA funding to other government departments to help meet the government’s overall international development objectives. This is purely a timing issue. The decrease in DFID’s resource budget for 2015/16 is reflected as increases to other government department’s resource budgets and the total planned DEL spend in 2015/16 across Government on ODA did not change between March and Summer budgets.

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding will be allocated to the Joint Security Fund in each year up to 2020.

Greg Hands: The new Joint Security Fund will grow to £1.5bn by the end of this Parliament and will fund key capabilities in Defence and the Intelligence Agencies, providing further support for the UK to defend itself against the threats it faces. The profile of this fund will not be determined until the conclusion of the Spending Review and Strategic Defence and Security Review this autumn.

Child Tax Credit: Bradford East

Imran Hussain: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families in Bradford East constituency will be affected by plans to limit child tax credits to two children.

Damian Hinds: This information is not available.   Information about the number of benefitting families and average entitlement in the Bradford East constituency in the tax year 2013-14 can be found in the publication ‘Personal tax credits: Finalised award statistics – geographical statistics 2013-2014’ here:   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-tax-credits-finalised-award-statistics-geographical-statistics-2013-to-2014   The Government is making changes to Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit which will help put welfare spending on a more sustainable path. The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare society. That means more emphasis on support to hardworking families on low incomes by reducing income tax through increases in the personal allowance and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.   From April 2017, the child element of Child Tax Credit will be limited to two children. This means that families who have a third or subsequent child after April 2017 will not receive additional support for this child. Support provided to families who make a new claim to Universal Credit after this date will also be limited to two children. Equivalent changes will be made in housing benefit.

Prime Minister

Health Professions: Regulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in the Department of Health on bringing forward the draft Law Commission Bill on regulation of health and social care professions for consideration by Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Cameron: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose information relating to internal discussions.

Department for Work and Pensions

Work Programme

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will introduce penalties for Work Programme providers which refer a large number of people with mental health problems for sanctions which are subsequently overturned at mandatory reconsideration or appeal.

Priti Patel: The Department has no plans to introduce such penalties. Decisions which are overturned at mandatory reconsideration or appeal stages frequently reflect new evidence which has subsequently come to light or has been provided by the claimant.

Income Support: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many income support claimants in Preston constituency died in 2014; and how many such people were subject to sanctions at the time of death.

Priti Patel: The information requested on benefit claimants by Parliamentary constituency is not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. In respect of the information requested for sanctions I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on the 11 December 2014 to Question UIN 217571

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made a forecast of the number of employment and support allowance claimants that his Department will classify as unfit to work in each of the next five years.

Priti Patel: The forecast for number of new employment and support allowance claimants the Department will classify as unfit to work in each of the next five years are included in the table below:  2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/20New Claimants Unfit For Work Total350,000450,000300,000300,000300,000 This is consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility Budget 2015 forecast.

Department for Work and Pensions: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for his Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

Justin Tomlinson: This government is the first government to introduce a compulsory Living Wage. All employers will be required to comply with the new national Living Wage of £7.20/ph for those 25 and above, as set out in the Budget.

Children: Poverty

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the measures in Budget Statement 2015 on levels of child poverty in (a) in-work and (b) out-of-work families.

Priti Patel: This Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances for children. We know that work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we are focused on ensuring people have the skills and the opportunities to move into employment. The Government has carefully considered the impact of the tax and benefit reforms introduced in the Summer Budget. The intended impact of these reforms is to incentivise work, ensure work always pays, and then allow people to keep more of what they earn.

Employment and Support Allowance: Medical Examinations

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on people waiting for an employment and support allowance assessment of the transition of supplier from Atos to Maximus in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Caerphilly County Borough.

Priti Patel: There was a successful transition from Atos Healthcare to Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (operated by MAXIMUS) right across the country. No changes were made to the Employment and Support Allowance assessment processes, so claimants would not be affected by the change of provider. Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) have introduced several changes to improve the overall customer experience, for example increasing the number of Mental Health Champions and introduced a new service to help claimants complete their ESA50 questionnaire.

Universal Credit

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when everyone currently registered for receipt of state benefits in (a) Bristol South constituency and (b) England will have been fully transferred to universal credit.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for the introduction of universal credit to jobcentres in Bristol South constituency.

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects universal credit to be fully rolled out to claimants in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire.

Priti Patel: The last new claims to legacy benefits and tax credits will be accepted during 2017. Following this, the Department will start to migrate the remaining claims to Universal Credit. We are on track with our plans for the national roll out of Universal Credit. I enclose a link to the overall roll out and expansion plans:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414937/universal-credit-national-expansion-tranche-three-and-four.pdf

Economic Situation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to section 96A(3)(a) of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which it is proposed will be inserted by Clause 8 of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, how he plans to define the national economic situation.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government will set out the detail of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in due course.

Local Housing Allowance: Bristol South

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged 18 to 21 in Bristol South constituency are in receipt of local housing allowance.

Justin Tomlinson: The information regarding the number of people aged 18 to 21 in Bristol South constituency in receipt of local housing allowance is published in the link below: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claims took (a) 10 days or fewer, (b) between 11 and 16 days inclusive and (c) over 16 days to process in (i) Nottingham North constituency, (ii) Nottingham local authority area and (iii) Great Britain in each financial year since 2010.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Employment Support Allowance: South Yorkshire

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire have claimed the enhanced disability premium component of employment support allowance in each of the last five years.

Priti Patel: The information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Work Programme: South Yorkshire

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were enrolled on the Work Programme in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire in each of the last five years; and how many such people found employment through that Programme.

Priti Patel: The information requested for all those placed into employment from the Work Programme, is not available. The information available is the number of Work Programme Referrals, Attachments and Job Outcomes, by various geographies and this can be found at:http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Employment and Support Allowance: Wales

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of employment and support allowance assessment waiting times in Wales.

Priti Patel: Centre for Health and Disability Assessments is working closely with the Department to achieve all its performance requirements and progress is being made on reducing the volume of outstanding cases and reducing the time people have to wait for an assessment.

Employment and Support Allowance: Medical Examinations

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the number of outstanding employment and support allowance assessments in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Caerphilly County Borough.

Priti Patel: The information available for the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants by phase of claim, by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Great Britain is published and can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users is available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland. http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

Employment and Support Allowance: Medical Examinations

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of progress in clearing the backlog of employment and support allowance assessments in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Caerphilly County Borough.

Priti Patel: The information available for the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants by phase of claim, by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Great Britain is published and can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users is available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland. http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

Jobcentre Plus

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average appointment length is for jobseekers at a Jobcentre Plus.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Jobcentre Plus

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the annual budget was for Jobcentre Plus between 2005 and 2015.

Priti Patel: Jobcentre Plus ceased to be an Executive Agency of the Department for Work and Pensions from October 2011 consequently no budget was allocated from 2012/13. Audited information on the administrative budget and spend by category can be found in the Jobcentre Plus annual report and accounts for the years between 2005/06 and 2010/11, ‎ the last years these accounts were lodged.http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130102205834/http://www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/customer-delivery/jobcentre-plus/publications-jobcentre-plus/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobcentre-plus-annual-report-and-accounts-2005-to-2006

Unemployment

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of (a) youth unemployment and (b) long-term unemployment to the public purse.

Priti Patel: The Department has not made an assessment of the overall cost of youth unemployment and long term unemployment to the public purse.

Housing Benefit: South Yorkshire

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire were in receipt of housing benefit in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The information regarding the number of people in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire in receipt of housing benefit in each of the last five years are published in the link below: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Housing Benefit: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government's proposed reductions in housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds on youth homelessness organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which groups will be exempted from the Government's proposed abolition of housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Housing Benefit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications were made for discretionary housing payments in each local authority in each of the last four years; and what proportion of those applications was approved in each such authority.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information about the number of applications for discretionary housing payments received by each local authority. Details concerning local authorities use of Discretionary Housing Payments can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments-financial-year-201415

Social Security Benefits: Aberdeen

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 6306, what the reasons are for his decision not to publish his Department's guidance on answering parliamentary questions.

Justin Tomlinson: It is not usual practice to place internal departmental guidance in the House of Commons library but I have now placed a copy of said guidance in the Library.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the circumstances in which a young person aged under 21 will be entitled to support in future with housing costs.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when a claimant who has received a loan for mortgage interest will be expected to commence repayment of that loan.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government will set out the detail of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in due course.

Employment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the Government proposes in Clause 1 of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill that the full employment reporting obligation will be repealed at the dissolution of the present Parliament.

Priti Patel: The duty to report on progress towards full employment demonstrates this Government’s commitment to full employment. The duty to report is a commitment by this Government over this Parliament, and it reflects the fact there is no intention to bind future governments to report on this issue.

Employment and Support Allowance: Medical Examinations

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the availability of doctor's appointments for employment and support allowance assessments in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Caerphilly County Borough area.

Priti Patel: Claimants attending Employment and Support Allowance assessments are seen by a Healthcare Professional who may be a fully qualified occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse, or doctor. Certain medical conditions however, have been designated as requiring a doctor’s assessment, for example: stroke, head-injury, multiple-sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy and, spina bifida. The Centre for Health and Disability Assessments is able to provide doctors to assess designated doctor-only cases in all parts of the country.

Social Security Benefits: Aberdeen

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2015 to Question 3935, what assessment he has made of the compliance of his Department's practice in providing statistics in answers to parliamentary questions with paragraphs 7.37 and 7.38 of the Guide to Parliamentary Work issued by the Leader of the House in May 2010.

Justin Tomlinson: The paragraphs referred to by the hon. Member refer to information that is already available in published departmental statistics. I refer her to paragraph 7.32 of the same document. 7.32 Members are advised that questions ‘must be seeking information that is not readily available elsewhere in the public domain‘ (including in answers to identical or similar questions in a previous session). Increasingly, this is the case as more and more information is available on government websites, though not necessarily in the format requested in the question

Disadvantaged

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.111 of the Summer Budget 2015, who the vulnerable groups are; and what criteria he uses to decide those groups are vulnerable.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the financial statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8 July 2015, Official Report, column 334, what the value will be of the new funding to provide additional support to help employment and support allowance claimants return to work; and what form this additional support will take.

Priti Patel: · The Budget provided additional funding from April 2017, rising from £60m in 2017/18 to £100m a year in 2020/21. · Further details will be set out in the autumn.

Work Capability Assessment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer from the Prime Minister of 24 June 2015, Official Report, columns 885-6, when he expects numbers of deaths of people declared fit to work and related standardised mortality ratios to be published.

Priti Patel: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 16th July 2015 to Question UIN 6682.

Social Rented Housing

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the potential effect of the provisions of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on the ability of social landlords to maintain services for their tenants at existing levels of funding.

Justin Tomlinson: Departmental Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues and officials from across Government, including from the Department for Communities and Local Government, about current and planned policies where there is a joint interest.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households are affected by the household benefit cap; and how many such people are in (a) social rented housing, (b) private rented housing and (c) temporary accommodation (i) nationally and (ii) in each region.

Justin Tomlinson: Data on the number of households affected by the benefit cap and the number of these households that are in (a) social rented housing and (b) private rented housing (i) nationally and (ii) in each region can be found on Stat-Xplore, the Department’s online interactive tabulation tool, which can be accessed here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Data on the number of households affected by the benefit cap in (c) temporary accommodation is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit: Bradford East

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many people aged between 18 and 21 in Bradford East constituency will be affected by plans to remove housing benefit for that age group.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Social Security Benefits: Bradford East

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many families in Bradford East constituency will be affected by the lowering of the benefit cap.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. The impact assessment has been placed in the House Library.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department plans to provide to people aged between 18 and 21 who have their entitlement to housing benefit removed.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Social Security Benefits

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap and (b) housing benefits with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap and (b) housing benefits with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap and (b) housing benefits with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Justin Tomlinson: Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to provide for exemptions for young people who cannot live with their parents from the removal of housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Social Security Benefits

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) the benefit cap, (b) child tax credits, (c) housing benefits, (d) working tax credit reductions, (e) working tax credit restrictions and (f) the restriction of working tax credit to two children only with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Justin Tomlinson: Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of housing benefit aged between 18 and 21 are studying (a) full-time and (b) part-time in further education.

Justin Tomlinson: Information requested regarding how many people in receipt of housing benefit aged between 18 and 21 are studying (a) full-time and (b) part-time in further education is not held.

Housing Benefit: Expenditure

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of an increase in rents on housing benefit spending.

Justin Tomlinson: The package of measures announced in this month’s Budget should limit the scope for rent growth to increase Housing Benefit expenditure, particularly in the private rental sector where most Local Housing Allowance rates will be frozen for the next four years. Local Housing Allowance rates are set within Broad Rental Market Areas. These are determined by rent officers and intend to reflect the areas in which people live and access local services. In areas where rents rise rapidly there should be no presumption that Housing Benefit will always pick up the bill.

Industrial Injuries

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation he plans on the role of employers and insurers in providing support to people who suffer from industrial injuries in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: In line with the information provided in the Summer Budget Report, the government will report at the Spending Review.

Attendance Allowance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the special rules for attendance allowance to include those suffering from significant brain injuries.

Justin Tomlinson: Entitlement to Attendance Allowance is not based on the diagnosis of a specific health condition, but is awarded to people based on the care, or supervision, needs arising from their severe disability. Special rules arrangements apply to Attendance Allowance claimants who are not expected to live longer than another six months, and mean that payment is made immediately rather the claimant having to satisfy the usual six month qualifying period. There is no specification of which health conditions should be processed under the special rules arrangements, and those suffering from significant brain injuries and not expected to live longer than another six months would be included under them. Claims for Attendance Allowance under the special rules arrangements should be supported by a relevant healthcare professional, usually on form DS1500.

Home Office

Passports: Children

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many first passports have been issued to British children born overseas in each of the last three years; what the average length of time was to process applications from each overseas country in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 07 July 2015



Information on the number of first time passports issued to children overseas and average processing times are set out in the table below.Due to the way management information was captured previously it is not possible to provide comparative data for the number of passports issued to children overseas before January 2014 or a breakdown of processing times by country prior to January 2015.



First time passports issued to children
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.86 KB)

Illegal Immigrants: France

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has made to her French counterpart on the effect of illegal migration from Calais on the UK freight industry.

James Brokenshire: The Home Secretary regularly meets her French counterpart to discuss the current situation in Calais. The Home Secretary and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve set out a number of commitments in a joint declaration, on 20 September 2014, to tackle problems at the port of Calais. This included £12 million from the UK Government to help reinforce security. We continue to work with the French Government to implement the practical solutions that have been agreed. On 2 July, the Home Secretary and the French Interior Minister reaffirmed the determination of both countries to strengthen and complete their joint strategy to deal with this common challenge, including by increasing the intervention fund to secure access to the Channel Tunnel.Driver safety is paramount; and it is in all our interests that goods are able to be transported to the UK secure against the harm that can be caused by clandestines. To that end the Home Secretary announced on 14 July the creation of a new secure buffer zone at the port of Calais for UK-bound lorries. This will provide a secure waiting area for 230 vehicles – the equivalent of removing a two-and-a-half mile queue from the approaching road.

HM Passport Office: Performance Standards

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that estimated application processing timelines by HM Passport Office are realised.

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) is committed to processing applications as quickly as possible. 99.95% of UK straightforward passport applications were processed to published service standards in June 2015. The published processing times are for guidance only and complex applications can take significantly longer to complete. HMPO is unable to issue a passport until all the requisite security checks have been completed.

Radicalism

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which faith organisations have made representations to the Home Office on Extremist Disruption Orders; and which organisations (a) supported and (b) opposed the proposed Extremist Disruption Orders.

Mr John Hayes: We regularly engage with faith groups and other partners on the measures in our new Counter-Extremism Strategy.Extremism Disruption Orders will be an important new power to help restrict the harmful activity of extremist individuals.

Stowaways: Death

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stowaways have died while attempting to travel into the UK by aeroplane in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Counter-terrorism

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will instigate an independent review of the performance of the Prevent strategy.

Mr John Hayes: Following an independent review, we fundamentally revised the Prevent strategy in 2011.As part of CONTEST performance management we monitor work under the strategy and report on it annually through the CONTEST Annual report.

Counter-terrorism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase the number of counter-terrorism officers stationed abroad.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 16 July 2015



For security reasons we do not publish a breakdown of the counter-terrorism policing budget by region or capability.

Police Community Support Officers

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police community support officers were working in police forces in (a) Bristol, (b) Avon and Somerset and (c) England and Wales in (i) 2010 and (ii) according to the most recently available figures.

Mike Penning: The Home Office collects data on the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) employed by each police force in England and Wales. Figures for Basic Command units, including Bristol, ceased to be collected centrally from 2012 onwards. The table provided contains statistics on the number of PCSOs in Avon and Somerset and England and Wales as at 31 March 2010 and 31 March 2015. The table also contains the available data for Bristol BCU for 31 March 2010. As HMIC has made clear, there is no simple link between police numbers and crime levels, between numbers and the visibility of police in the community, or between numbers and the quality of service provided.



Number of PCSOs full-time equivalent figures
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.38 KB)

Overseas Students: Visas

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of non-EU students who will be affected each year by recently announced restrictions on college visas for entering the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stop and Search: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each recorded ethnic group were (a) subject to stop and search and (b) subsequently arrested in (i) London and (ii) each London borough in (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012, (D) 2013 and (E) 2014

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stop and Search: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) subject to stop and search and (b) subsequently arrested in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014 in (A) London and (B) each London borough.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stop and Search: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people aged under 16 were (a) subject to stop and search and (b) subsequently arrested in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014 in (A) London and (B) each London borough.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stop and Search: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were (a) under five, (b) five, (c) six, (d) seven, (e) eight, (f) nine, (g) 10, (h) 11, (i) 12, (j) 13, (k) 14, (l) 15 and (m) 16 were subject to stop and search in each year from 2010 to 2014 in (i) London and (ii) each London borough.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Overseas Students: Employment

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on the economy of a ban on international students working whilst they study in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The changes to the Immigration Rules laid before Parliament on 13 July prevent new international students studying at publicly-funded colleges from working. This change brings their rights into line with the existing rules for those studying at private colleges.University students are not affected by this change and can work for 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during vacations. All students can continue to undertake work placements, provided they are an integral and assessed part of their course of study.

Asylum

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications her Department has rejected since 8 May 2015.

James Brokenshire: Quarterly figures on asylum applications rejected in the period April to June 2015 will be published in the Immigration Statistics release, table as_01_q “Asylum applications and initial decisions for main applicants, by country of nationality” on 27 August.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on asylum applications and initial decisions within the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics January – March 2015 is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release and the Library of the House.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding the Government has allocated to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse for this financial year.

Karen Bradley: The Government has agreed an operating budget of £17.9 million for the Inquiry in 2015/16. This was set out in Justice Goddard’s opening statement on 9 July, which is available in full on the independent Inquiry’s website at: www.csa-inquiry.independent.gov.uk.

Human Trafficking

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many victims of human trafficking were identified during the first year of the operation of the NSPCC Child Trafficking helpline; which countries those people came from; what the (a) gender and (b) age was of those people; what support has been offered to those people; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not fund the NSPCC Child Trafficking and Advice helpline and does not hold data on the number of victims identified through that helpline.

Human Trafficking

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) adults and (b) children her Department has identified as being at risk of human trafficking in (i) England and Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not collect data on individual adults or children identified as being at risk of human trafficking. The National Referral Mechanism provides data on the number of individuals who have been referred as potential victims of trafficking, and these numbers are available on the National Crime Agency website. The National Crime Agency also regularly publishes information about the threat from serious and organised crime, including human trafficking and modern slavery.

Human Trafficking

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to continue to finance the NSPCC Child Trafficking helpline when the contract for that helpline ends; and what the cost of the previous contract was.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not fund the NSPCC Child Trafficking Advice Centre helpline. The Child Trafficking Advice Line has been consistently funded by Comic Relief.

Wills: Fraud

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what jurisdiction the police have to investigate allegations of fraud relating to the falsification of documents and declarations of a spouse's estate and other matters relating to wills.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the Schengen Agreement on the level of illegal migration from Calais into the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations her Department has made to member countries of the Schengen Agreement area on the effect of that agreement on the number of irregular migrants to Calais and its environs.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on the independent inquiry into child abuse in the 2014-15 financial year.

Karen Bradley: Justice Goddard, the chair of the independent Inquiry, wrote to the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 22 June stating that the costs of the inquiry from its start in July 2014 to the end of the financial year, 31 March 2015 were £1,261,316.

Immigration Rules: Overseas Students

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department considered to inform the changes to tier 4 immigration rules for students at further education colleges, announced on 13 July 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if she will make it her policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for her Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: This government is the first government to introduce a compulsory Living Wage.All employers will be required to comply with the new national Living Wage of £7.20/ph for those 25 and above, as set out in the Budget.The Northern Ireland Office takes its terms and conditions, including pay, from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). My Department will follow any changes in pay levels set by the MOJ.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her policy is on the prosecution of people who assist people in terminating a pregnancy.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: Decisions about prosecutions in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland. Policy relating to the termination of a pregnancy is the responsibility of the devolved authorities.

Wind Power: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with Ministers from the Northern Ireland Executive on the implications for the Executive's funding of its decision not to end subsidies to onshore wind farms by April 2016.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: With certain limited exceptions, energy is a devolved matter. It is therefore for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide whether or not they end subsidies to onshore wind projects and consider the funding implications.

Belfast Agreement

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which parts of the Belfast Agreement have yet to be implemented; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Belfast Agreement set out the arrangements governing the operation of democratic institutions in Northern Ireland, as well as British-Irish institutions and the North-South Ministerial Council. The subsequent St Andrews Agreement made changes to the operation of those institutions, as agreed by political parties representing a majority of unionist and nationalist opinion in Northern Ireland.Both Agreements have been substantially delivered, though there remain some areas where a lack of consensus means that full implementation has not been possible.

Parades Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps she is taking to ensure that the determinations of the Parades Commission are accepted by all affected parties; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The Public Processions Act (NI) 1998 empowers the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland to make determinations in relation to sensitive parades and parades related protests in Northern Ireland, independently of Government.As I have pointed out many times publicly and in private meetings, Commission decisions are legally binding and it is incumbent upon everyone to abide by the rule of law.

Transport: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport about the implications of the Davies Report on the UK's airport strategy for Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I meet regularly with Cabinet Ministers to discuss a range of issues.As the Secretary of State for Transport has said on a number of occasions, the Government will now carefully consider all of the evidence in the Airports Commission’s Final Report before making a decision on the way forward. The Government will not therefore be commenting on the Airports Commission’s recommendations until it has had time to examine the evidence. However, the Government recognises the need to make a decision as soon as we can, after considering all relevant matters.

Parades Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many meetings she has had with the Chairman of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission since first becoming Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: Since my appointment as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in September 2012, I have met the Chair of the Parades Commission on ten occasions.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Sheffield Heeley

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of GP surgeries in Sheffield, Heeley constituency that will have to (a) reduce patient services and (b) close as a result of the phased withdrawal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP surgeries in Sheffield, Heeley constituency will be affected by the phased withdrawal of the Minimum Practice Income Guarantee.

Alistair Burt: This is a matter for NHS England.   The Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG) was introduced as part of the 2004 General Medical Services (GMS) contract as a temporary top-up payment to some general practitioner practices to smooth the transition to new funding arrangements. It is being phased out because it is not fair. We want a simplified, fair and transparent system. The funding released from MPIG over seven years will be reinvested in the basic payments made to all GMS practices. For the majority of practices there will be a net gain in practice income. Making changes over this period will allow the minority of practices that lose funding to adjust gradually to a reduction in payments.

Mental Health Services: Children

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to maintain the current level of funding of child and adolescent mental health services.

Alistair Burt: Commissioning of child and adolescent health services (CAMHS) in England is complex, with responsibility divided between NHS England, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), local authorities and schools.   In the Spring Budget in March 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an additional £1.25 billion over the next five years for children and young people’s mental health.   Priorities for CCG expenditure are for local determination. However, the 2015/16 planning guidance from NHS England states that: “every CCG will be expected to use its extra funding to increase funding for local mental health services in real terms next year by at least the level of the CCG’s overall funding growth.” In addition, new guidance to CCGs on local transformation plans for children and young people’s mental health will require that local partners be transparent on local activity, workforce and spend on CAMHS.   The priority for NHS England, which is responsible for the commissioning of the Tier 4 in-patient beds, is to focus on improving access to these services when they are required.

General Practitioners: Closures

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on ensuring the continual provision of GP services in the event of a lease-holding GP practice withdrawing its services; and what the minimum specifications are for the interim provision of GP services in a case where a lease-holding GP practice withdraws its services.

Alistair Burt: NHS England is responsible for ensuring that all patients have access to primary medical services. Where a practice closes, patients may be assigned to another practice or may register with a practice of their choosing.   Patients will be entitled to receive, as a minimum, essential services as set out in general practitioner contract regulations which includes any referral needed. If a practice does not provide enhanced or additional services, NHS England is responsible for ensuring patients have access to those services.

Skin Cancer: Medical Treatments

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had on the availability of new treatments for (a) skin cancer patients and (b) patients with advanced melanoma.

George Freeman: A number of drugs for the treatment of skin cancers including melanoma are licensed and are available for use on the National Health Service, subject to funding decisions by the relevant commissioner.   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a number of drugs for skin cancers and melanoma and is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on several new treatments. In addition, NICE is developing a clinical guideline on the assessment and management of melanoma and its final guidance is expected to be published later this month.   We take the issue of ensuring rapid access to innovative therapies very seriously, which is why we have launched an Accelerated Access Review to make recommendations to Government later in the year on speeding up access for NHS patients to innovative and cost effective new medicines, diagnostics and medical technologies.

Drugs: Costs

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has made an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of all medicines costing over £20 issued by the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The number of dispensed prescription items valued greater than £20.00, with the net ingredient cost (NIC), compared with the total for all dispensed prescription items, is provided for the last complete calendar year.   Prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed, in the community, in England - 2014 Items (000’s)NIC (£000’s)Items with NIC greater than £20.00104,576.45,295,382.8All items1,064,573.88,852,574.9   Source: Prescription Cost Analysis, provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre   Note: NIC per item is an average; it is not an exact measure of the cost of the medicine. The quantity of the medicine prescribed can vary for each prescription item.

NHS

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what changes have been made to the NHS Constitution in each of the last three years.

Ben Gummer: In the past three years, the NHS Constitution has been amended twice. In April 2013, the NHS Constitution was updated to reflect a number of key areas, including:   - patient involvement in discussions and decisions about their care and treatment, including end of life care; - a duty of candour; - the addition of a pledge to welcome feedback; - integrated care, reflecting the needs and preferences of patients; - new patient rights on complaints; - amending the language to better reflect patient involvement in managing their own care; - the addition of further staff rights, responsibilities and commitments; and - ensuring patients will not have to share hospital sleeping accommodation with patients of the opposite sex.   Between February and April this year, the Department consulted on a package of further changes to the NHS Constitution. This included:   - reflecting recommendations made by Sir Robert Francis QC in his Inquiry Report on Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust; - incorporating a series of fundamental standards, below which standards of care should never fall; - highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability within the National Health Service; - giving greater prominence to mental health, through reflecting a parity of esteem between mental and physical health problems; and - making reference to the Armed Forces Covenant. The updated NHS Constitution will be published alongside a revised version of the Handbook to the NHS Constitution on 27 July 2015. The Handbook outlines the contents of the NHS Constitution in further detail.

Department of Health: Annual Reports

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish its annual accounts for 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15 is expected to be laid by HM Treasury shortly.

Department of Health: Tobacco

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met employees or third party representatives of tobacco companies in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015 to date.

Jane Ellison: None. Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Gov.UK website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings

NHS: Cost Effectiveness

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the Government will publish the analysis and assumptions which underlie its policy of securing £22 billion of efficiency savings in the NHS.

Alistair Burt: The National Health Service's own action plan for the next five years – the NHS Five Year Forward View – anticipated a gap between resources and patient needs of nearly £30 billion a year by 2020/21, if there were no further efficiencies. To fill this gap the Five Year Forward View called for an extra £8 billion in funding, which the Government has committed to, along with £22 billion of efficiency savings.   The Department will continue to work together with the health service, our partners and patients to develop key elements of the programme required to achieve the £22 billion of efficiency savings. The precise health budget will be determined by the Spending Review.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) median call-to-door times, (b) door-to-balloon times and (c) call-to-balloon times was for patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction in England in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.   However, the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) annual public report, published in December 2014, sets out that the percentage of patients with an admission diagnosis of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction having primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within the target of 90 minutes of arrival at the heart attack centre in England, Wales and Belfast over the last six years was as follows:   2008-0984.1%2009-1088.1%2010-1189.4%2011-1291.5%2012-1391.6%2013-1492.1%   The target for call-to-balloon time is less than 150 minutes. MINAP found that the proportion of eligible patients receiving primary PCI within 150 minutes of calling for help was almost 88% for those transported directly to heart attack centres in England and 57% for those who were transferred to a heart attack centre following initial assessment in another hospital.   The MINAP report can be found at:   https://www.ucl.ac.uk/nicor/audits/minap/documents/annual_reports/minap-public-report-2014

Health Professions: Registration

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the amount charged for annual registration fees by the (a) General Chiropractic Council, (b) General Dental Council, (c) General Medical Council, (d) General Optical Council, (e) General Osteopathic Council, (f) General Pharmaceutical Council, (g) Health and Care Professions Council, (h) Nursing and Midwifery Council and (i) Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: The nine health and care professional regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom are independent statutory bodies. Accordingly, they are responsible for determining the level of the annual fee they charge for registration. Information on the amount charged by the regulatory bodies for annual registration is publically available and is shown in the following table:   Regulatory BodyFee as at 1 July 2015 (£)General Chiropractic Council800General Dental Council890General Medical Council420General Optical Council310General Osteopathic Council570General Pharmaceutical Council250Health and Care Professions Council90Nursing and Midwifery Council120Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland372   The Department is clear that we would not expect registration fees to increase beyond their current levels, unless there is a clear and robust business case that any increase is essential to enable the regulators to exercise statutory duties.

Cancer: Drugs

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether doctors will be able to make applications for cancer drugs for their patients from the Cancer Drugs Fund after May 2016.

George Freeman: Since it was established, the Cancer Drugs Fund has helped over 72,000 people in England to receive the life-extending cancer drugs that would not otherwise have been routinely available to them.   This Government has committed to continuing to invest in the Fund.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Weather

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional funding has been allocated to clinical commissioning groups to tackle pressures in A&E departments in winter 2015-16; and on what date that funding was announced.

Jane Ellison: For 2015/16, around £380 million has been allocated to all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to support resilience initiatives, including tackling pressures on accident and emergency departments and is included in CCG baselines. The 2015/16 arrangements were announced in December 2014.

Health Services: Greater Manchester

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what formula determined the level of NHS funding for devolution to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Alistair Burt: The Department and NHS England are working closely with Greater Manchester to develop the devolved arrangements that will be implemented from April 2016. The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Devolution Memorandum of Understanding has identified around £6 billion of health and social care funding which has currently been allocated at the full Greater Manchester level.   The large majority of total health funding for England is allocated to NHS England by the Department. NHS England is then responsible for making allocations of funding to individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which are responsible for commissioning most local health services. Decisions on CCG allocations are taken independently of Government by NHS England. What the Government does is to set some broad principles, as part of the Mandate to NHS England, to which they must conform.

General Practitioners: Opening Hours

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of GP practices participating in the Prime Minister's Challenge Fund were already offering evening or weekend opening hours prior to their participation in that fund.

Alistair Burt: 36% of practices participating in wave one schemes (announced in October 2013) offered some form of weekday extended hours provision and 17% offered some form of weekend extended hours provision prior to participating in the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund (formerly the PM Challenge Fund). NHS England is currently undertaking a baseline exercise for those practices participating in wave two (announced September 2014). We do not hold data on how many days a week these practices were offering extended hours, nor whether they offered routine appointments or reserved them for urgent care.   The Government is committed to improving access to general practitioner (GP) and primary care services. We have invested in the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. This includes longer opening hours – such as evening and weekend hours – but also different ways of accessing services, for example telephone and Skype consultations. Across two waves of the Fund, 57 schemes will be set up covering over 2,500 practices. All schemes within the GP Access Fund are now offering some form of extended opening hours at evenings or weekends.

NHS: Re-employment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS staff have been made redundant and subsequently re-employed by NHS organisations on a (a) permanent and (b) fixed-term contract basis since May 2010.

Ben Gummer: The number of National Health Service staff estimated to have been made redundant since May 2010 and subsequently, up until March 2015, re-employed by an NHS organisation on a permanent basis is 3,700 and a fixed term contract basis is 1,868.   Returning on Permanent Contracts PermanentRedundanciesReturned2010-115,5218892011-126,8191,0512012-136,7869932013-144,6935912014-152,482176   Returning on Fixed Term Contracts Fixed TermRedundanciesReturned2010-115,5214752011-126,8195122012-136,7864782013-144,6932882014-152,482115   These estimates are derived from unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) Data Warehouse, and so only cover redundancies from, and re-employment to, those organisation that use ESR. Two trusts do not use ESR.   Figures for 2014-15 cover redundancies and returns to December 2014.

Cancer: Health Services

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects that the NHS will next meet the target for 85 per cent of cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days.

Jane Ellison: NHS England, in its Business Plan for 2015/16, sets out how it will support the National Health Service to meet NHS Constitution commitments on cancer waiting times by March 2016. This includes the standard that 85% of patients should begin first definitive treatment within 62 days from urgent general practitioner referral for suspected cancer.   To support the NHS, a cancer waiting times taskforce, jointly chaired by NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer and the NHS Trust Development Authority’s Medical Director, has developed a set of high impact priorities to improve current performance and meet the operational standards. Alongside Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority, NHS England’s regional teams are working with clinical commissioning groups and NHS providers to ensure poor performance is effectively addressed.

Health Professions: Regulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the Law Commission has made of potential savings to (i) the public purse and (ii) regulators of healthcare professionals arising from implementation of the Law Commission's recommendations on the reform of regulation of health and care professionals.

Ben Gummer: The Law Commissions of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland undertook an impact assessment which was published alongside the report of their review of the regulation of health and (in England) social care professionals on 2 April 2014. The Law Commissions’ estimated annual efficiency savings for the regulators to be in the region of £8.5 million per year resulting from their reforms with an associated saving to the Department of £0.5 million per year by reducing the requirement for legal support to maintain the legislative framework. The Department will undertake its own impact assessment in relation to any Government legislation brought forward.

Tobacco: Taxation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) NHS England and (b) Public Health England made any representations to HM Treasury as part of the recent consultation on the policy of a tobacco levy.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England responded to the recent consultation on the policy of a tobacco levy. NHS England did not respond to the consultation.

Public Sector: Pay

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) NHS England and (b) Health Education England made any representations to HM Treasury prior to the Summer Budget 2015 announcement on public sector pay.

Alistair Burt: We understand that neither body made any representations to HM Treasury in advance of the summer Budget.

Nurses: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the number of extra university places required to train nursing staff to meet the NICE safe staffing ratio of one nurse to eight patients.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) is currently working with local organisations and key external stakeholders to develop the National Workforce Plan for England covering the period 2016-17. This will be published in December 2015. The plan takes account of what local providers require by way of future nurse staffing levels.   HEE has invested £1.5 million in funding approximately 90 ‘Return to Practice’ courses that has already yielded an additional 779 trainees available for employment now, at a cost of £2,000 compared to the £51,000 it takes to train a newly qualified nurse.

Skin Cancer: Health Education

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for his Department's analysis of the data from the skin cancer Be Clear on Cancer pilot.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) ran a local Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset from 16 June – 27 July 2014 to raise awareness of the signs of skin cancer. The campaign was aimed at people over the age of 50 and the key message was “A change to a mole isn’t the only sign of skin cancer. If you notice any persistent or unusual changes to your skin, tell your doctor”. The campaign included radio, press, digital and outdoor advertising.   Early results from the pilot are encouraging and are currently being evaluated. PHE can confirm that there will be a full and final evaluation report published for the local skin cancer pilot campaign as soon as possible, when analysis of all metrics is complete. However, in advance of a final evaluation report, PHE aims to publish an interim report containing the public awareness and knowledge levels and the results from the analysis of cancer waiting times data during summer 2015.

NHS: Staff

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with Health Education England on safe staffing levels.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not held formal discussions with Health Education England (HEE) specifically regarding safe staffing. HEE annually produces a national workforce plan for England setting out the investment it will make in undergraduate and postgraduate (including medical specialty) training in the next financial year.   As part of the 2015/16 workforce plan, HEE will continue the growth in nursing numbers to meet safe staffing levels by commissioning 555 additional training posts, an increase of 4.2%. This means in the last two years adult nursing training places will have grown by 13.6%.   In developing the next workforce plan for 2016/17, HEE will listen to evidence from stakeholders across the National Health Service. It is through these national and local arrangements that we will ensure that the workforce meets the needs of today’s patients whilst delivering the future workforce in a way that not only maintains safe staffing levels, but supports the service transformation necessary to improve quality of care.

NHS: Staff

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the relationship between safe staffing levels and clinical outcomes; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to commission research on safe staffing levels and clinical outcomes.

Ben Gummer: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) commissions research evidence to improve the quality, accessibility and organisation of health services through the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme. Research of particular relevance to the relationship between staffing levels and clinical outcomes includes:   - a published study of the efficient use of the maternity workforce and the implications for safety and quality in maternity care: - www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hsdr/volume-2/issue-38#abstract - a current study on the future of 24/7 care: investigating the links between staffing levels, patient access and inequalities in health outcomes: - www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/projects/hsdr/1212848 - a current study on nurse staffing levels, missed vital signs observations and mortality in hospital wards: - www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/projects/hsdr/1311417   The programme is currently commissioning research on measuring nursing input, workload, activity and care. In addition to this, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced on 16 July that NHS Improvement will have safety and quality at the heart of the organisation's remit and Dr Mike Durkin's safety function will move there. One of Dr Durkin's early priorities will be working with the Chief Nursing Officer to complete the work started by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on safe staffing levels. This will be independently reviewed by NICE, the Chief Inspector of hospitals, and Sir Robert Francis to ensure it meets the high standards of care the National Health Service aspires to.

Social Services: Costs

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on the introduction of the cap on care costs in April 2016; and how many such representations requested a delay in implementation of that cap.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had since 7 May 2015 with (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) organisations outside government on implementation of the cap on care costs and the extension to means-tested support from April 2016.

Alistair Burt: Following a consultation on draft regulations and guidance earlier this year we received a number of responses from across the care and support sector which called for a delay in the implementation of these reforms. Since the election we have continued to hear these concerns. During this time we have continued to work closely with the Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Care and there have been a number of discussions within Government and with other interested organisations to determine the way forward. On 1 July the LGA wrote a letter calling for a delay in implementation of these reforms.   We have listened to the concerns expressed by the LGA and others and that is why we decided to delay implementation until April 2020 as announced in a written ministerial statement on 17 July, repeated today in the House of Commons (HCWS145).

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential change to the cost of providing social care in England, Wales and Scotland as a result of the increase in the minimum wage in each of the next five years.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in the minimum wage on social care.

Alistair Burt: The impact of the new National Living Wage on local authority finances will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures on local authorities.   The costs of introduction in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved administrations.

Mental Health Services: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on plans to require local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and other partners to develop transformation plans to implement the recommendations of the report of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Taskforce.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made in deploying the first tranche of the £1.25 billion announced in the March 2015 Budget for children and young people's mental health services.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the report of the Children and Young People's Mental Health Taskforce.

Alistair Burt: £1.25 billion has been made available for children’s mental health over the course of this Parliament.   We, and local areas, along with our partner organisations including the Department for Education, are building on the momentum and powerful consensus generated by Future in Mind, the report on the work of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce.   We are making progress and are committed to taking forward both the ambition and individual proposals, backed by the additional investment. We are developing a central programme plan with a phased approach to implementation. Action underway includes:   - Work to extend and expand the Children and Young People’s Access to Psychological Therapies Programme, so that by 2018, all local services will have participated in this transformative programme and it will cover additional clinical areas; - The commissioning of a new prevalence survey on mental health problems in children and young people; - Local areas have been invited to pilot joint training between schools and children and young people’s mental health services providers, to strengthen the mental health advice and support available in educational settings; - Improved services for perinatal mental health and eating disorders, both of which are being addressed through work this year; and - Plans for legislation to prevent any child or young person being put in a police cell as a place of safety during a mental health crisis.   In May 2015, NHS England wrote to all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) asking them to work with their partners from across the NHS, public health, local authority, youth justice and education sectors to develop local Transformation Plans for children’s mental health and wellbeing to reshape the way services for children and young people with mental health needs are commissioned and delivered across all agencies over the next five years in line with proposals put forward in Future in Mind.   NHS England will shortly be publishing guidance, developed with partners across the system, to CCGs on local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health, in line with the proposal in Future in Mind.

Social Services: Inspections

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings his Department has had with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on inspections by CQC of local authorities' commissioning of care services.

Ben Gummer: While there has been some discussion between Departmental officials and the Care Quality Commission about inspection of local authorities’ commissioning, there have been no specific meetings on this topic during 2015.

Mental Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made on implementing the plans in Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020, published on 8 October 2014.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to review the operation of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service; and what target he has set for the number of people who will get access to therapy under that service by April 2016.

Alistair Burt: Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020, published in October 2014, set out the ambition that by 2020 the National Health Service would provide a comprehensive set of access and waiting time standards.   This was accompanied by a £120 million investment – an investment of £40 million new money in 2014/15 to lay the groundwork for introducing the standards, and £80 million in 2015/16 that will be realised out of existing NHS England budgets. This will enable the setting of the following access and waiting time standards in mental health services:   - Treatment within six weeks for 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks; - Treatment within two weeks for more than 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis; and - £30 million targeted investment will help people in crisis to access effective support in accident and emergency.   Since 2008, over 3 million people have entered IAPT treatment, with over half of them having completed treatment. Over 1 million patients have reached recovery.   By end March 2015, the aim is for IAPT services to be available to at least 15% of people who could benefit. Many local areas are achieving more than this. The 15% target was set in order to ensure a credible alternative to medication was available everywhere. We will know shortly if this target has been met and will then plan about how to progress.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Staff

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what dates his Department held discussions with NICE on the decision by that body to publish guidance on A&E staffing levels.

Ben Gummer: There are regular communications between the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Department on all its programmes.   NICE was asked in November 2013 to develop a number of guidelines on safe staffing including accident and emergency.   On 16 July, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced that NHS Improvement will have safety and quality at the heart of the organisation's remit and Dr Mike Durkin's safety function will move there.   One of Dr Durkin's early priorities will be working with the Chief Nursing Officer to complete the work started by NICE on safe staffing levels.   This will be independently reviewed by NICE, the Chief Inspector of hospitals, and Sir Robert Francis to ensure it meets the high standards of care the National Health Service aspires to.

Eating Disorders: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 1.86 of the Autumn Statement 2014, how the additional £30 million in 2015-16 for eating disorder treatment is being spent.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on developing a maximum waiting time standard for access to eating disorder services; whether he plans to introduce such a standard from April 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The additional funding of £30 million per year over the next five years beginning in 2015-16 will be used to provide:   - Swifter access to evidence based community treatment; - A decrease in the use of inpatient eating disorder beds by at least 50%; - A reduction in the rate of relapse; - Fewer transfers to adult services – reducing by up to 70% the number of those who need to be treated as adults; and - Improvements in transition for young people with eating disorders when they turn 18.   NHS England and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health will shortly publish a commissioning guide for clinical commissioning groups that will set out how to prepare for and implement the access and waiting time standard for children and young people with an eating disorder during 2015/16 and implemented from 1 April 2016.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will conduct an equality impact assessment as part of its consideration of whether all adolescent boys should be included in the national HPV vaccination programme in order to meet its obligations under the general equality duty of the Equality Act 2010.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will have due regard to equality issues in providing advice on whether to extend the human papillomavirus vaccination programme to adolescent boys.   The Department will undertake a full equality analysis once it has received advice from the JCVI on this issue.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to remove treatments included on the National Cancer Drugs Fund list; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of treatments on the National Cancer Drugs Fund list that are likely to be removed in prioritisation reviews in the next five years.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that its Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) panel expects to hold a meeting on 29-30 July 2015 to prioritise the drugs/indications currently available on the national CDF list.   The CDF in its current form is due to operate until 1 April 2016 and therefore the revised national CDF list will be operational until at least then.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer treatments have been (a) denied entry to or (b) removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund on cost grounds since January 2015.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that no cancer treatments have been removed from or denied entry to the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) on cost grounds alone. NHS England’s CDF panel makes its prioritisation decisions based on the national CDF prioritisation tool.   Since 1 January 2015, 14 drugs and indications have been denied entry to the Fund and 25 drugs have been removed from the Fund. However, four of these removals followed a positive recommendation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence which saw those drugs being routinely commissioned by the National Health Service.   Two drugs have been added for three indications - panitumumab for bowel cancer, ibrutinib for Mantle cell lymphoma and ibrutinib for use in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department will submit a response to NHS England's consultation on the Cancer Drugs Fund Standard Operating Procedures; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: NHS England has responsibility for the operational management of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) and published its Standard Operating Procedures: Guidance to support operation of the CDF in 2015-16 on 21 May 2015. This sets out the basis on which the CDF panel will make decisions on which drugs are included within the national CDF list and is available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sop-delegtd-auth-changes.pdf   The Department did not respond to NHS England’s consultation on revised CDF standard operating procedures in Autumn 2014 and has not submitted a response to NHS England’s recent consultation on the Fund’s standard operating procedures which closed on 18 June 2015.

Diabetes: Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the health outcomes for diabetic patients treated across the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of nationwide diabetes treatment and prevention strategies; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The NHS Five Year Forward View set out a commitment to implement a national NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme to provide lifestyle programmes to people with pre diabetes to reduce their risk of developing this condition. We are building on this programme to improve the outcomes of people with and at risk of diabetes.   For those who already have diabetes, delivery of the care processes continues to be incentivised through the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF). Individual general practitioner (GP) practices, working with their local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), assess their own performance and take action where necessary.   We have increased transparency through the creation of an online tool which highlights variation in the prevalence and treatment of diabetes, which can be found at:   http://healthierlives.phe.org.uk/   In addition, the CCG outcomes indicator set provides clear, comparative information for CCGs, Health and Wellbeing Boards, local authorities, patients and the public about the quality of health services commissioned by CCGs and the associated health outcomes. Through publicly sharing this information, CCGs and GP practices can see how they compare with their peers and take action where they need to improve.   The Government wants further improvements to be made in the management and care of people with diabetes. We will put forward our plans in due course.

Diabetes: Health Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on diabetes awareness advertisements in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Change4Life is Public Health England’s (PHE) social marketing programme which aims to inspire families with children aged 5 to 11 to eat well and move more in order to lower the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. More than 2.7 million people have engaged with the campaign.   There is no specific budget for diabetes awareness marketing within PHE. However, the costs for the delivery of the Change4Life campaign are as follows:   - Year 2010/11 £8,862,000 - Year 2011/12 £8,481,000 - Year 2012/13 £8,933,000 - Year 2013/14 £12,582,000 - Year 2014/15 £10,041,000   These costs are total campaign costs and only exclude staffing costs.   PHE is currently developing an integrated social marketing campaign to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health including taking more exercise and improving diet.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress NHS England's Short Life Working Group on reform of the Cancer Drugs Fund has made; and when he expects that Group to report.

George Freeman: NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund Working Party was established to inform NHS England’s deliberations on the development of proposals for the future evaluation and commissioning of cancer drugs.   NHS England has advised that the outputs from these deliberations will inform a discussion at the July meeting of the NHS England Board.

Streptococcus: Babies

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to reduce Group B Strep infection in newborn babies.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the charity Group B Strep Support will be involved in the pre-consultation stage of the UK National Screening Committee's review; when he plans to start public consultation on the review; and when he expects to make a decision on the review.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that all reviews of Group B Strep prevention policy are led and advised by specialists who were not involved in designing the current guidelines.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when and how he plans to make available the Public Health England's recently updated UK SMI B58 Detection of carriage of Group B Strep.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to improve awareness of Group B Strep infection.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the UK National Screening Committee's 2015-16 forthcoming review of their policy on Group B Strep screening will meet PRISMA standards.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the UK National Screening Committee's 2015-16 forthcoming review of their policy on Group B Strep screening will start.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what effect the introduction of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' risk-based prevention strategy for Group B Strep infection in newborn babies has had in England since its introduction in 2003; and what information his Department holds on its effects in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he last met stakeholders to discuss improving the prevention of Group B Strep infection in newborn babies; and when he next plans to meet them.

Ben Gummer: No representations have been made to Ministers, this parliamentary session, regarding meeting stakeholders to discuss Group B Streptococcus (GBS).   Information on GBS in pregnancy is publically available on the NHS Choices website at:   http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-infections.aspx   Public Health England (PHE) established enhanced surveillance of infant GBS disease in April 2014, in partnership with St George’s Hospital, the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and national public health bodies across the United Kingdom and Ireland, in order to assess disease incidence, associated mortality and frequency of established risk factors. Several candidate GBS vaccines are in development and PHE will continue to monitor these. The National Institute for Health Research has recently approved funding for a study on accuracy of a rapid intrapartum test for maternal group B streptococcal colonisation and its potential to reduce antibiotic usage in mothers with risk factors (GBS2). The study is expected to begin this summer.   UK standards for microbiology investigations B58: Detection of carriage of Group B Streptococci, which was updated in June 2015, is publically available on the gov.uk website at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smi-b-58-processing-swabs-for-group-b-streptococcal-carriage.   The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has produced a Green-top guideline: Prevention of Early-Onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease. The Green-top guideline provides guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists on the prevention of early-onset neonatal GBS disease. The first edition was published in 2003 and the second updated edition was published in 2012. A UK audit in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and supported by the Royal College of Midwives was recently carried out by the RCOG. It examined current practice in preventing early-onset neonatal GBS disease by investigating the implementation of the RCOG Green-top guideline (2012 edition) and identified key areas for improvement. The first report was published on 5 March 2015 and found that the majority of obstetric units in the UK have written protocols to prevent early-onset GBS disease in newborn babies. However, there is still variation in practice across units. The second report is due to be published later this year. Further information is available at:   https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/rcog-release-new-audit-into-gbs-finds-variation-in-practice-across-obstetric-units/.   The Northern Ireland Executive and Welsh Government are responsible for healthcare in Northern Ireland and Wales, therefore no further information on GBS prevention strategies in these countries is held centrally.   The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) review of antenatal screening for GBS carriage is due to begin in August 2015. The UK NSC will consider whether its review of the evidence should be undertaken as a systematic review to PRISMA standards or whether a rapid review should be carried out. The timescale for the review process will be available once the UK NSC has made a decision on whether a systematic or rapid review should take place. The review process will include a three month public consultation period which the charity, Group B Strep Support and other interested stakeholder groups and individuals will be able to input into. The UK NSC may take clinical advice from a range of specialists and experts as part of the review process. This may include advice from individuals and groups that were involved in the development of the current guidelines as well as those who were not. This is supported by a public consultation process, which ensures that the review and recommendations of the committee are open and transparent.

NHS: Negligence

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS England paid to cover clinical negligence claims, excluding legal costs, in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 2009-10.

Ben Gummer: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) indemnifies National Health Service organisations in England and many independent sector providers of NHS care against claims.   The NHS LA handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of its members under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST). Currently, all NHS trusts in England are members of the CNST, along with 74 private providers.   The information is contained in the following table:   NHS LA Clinical Negligence Damages Expenditure 2009/10 - 2014/15 Financial yearPayment typeTotal Clinical NegligenceExpenditure£’0002014/15Damages774,4442013/14Damages840,7522012/13Damages907,5292011/12Damages929,6072010/11Damages621,6142009/10Damages556,670   Source: NHS LA   Note: The data provided is for damages expenditure relating solely to damages payments against known claims and ongoing periodical payments in each of the years quoted. It does not relate to claims settled in those years.

Tobacco: Taxation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Ministers and officials at HM Treasury on Government policy on a tobacco levy.

Jane Ellison: Health Ministers discuss a range of issues relating to tobacco control with other Government Departments as needed.

Prisoners: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what methodology his Department uses to assess levels of mental health need in the prison population; and what plans he has to commission a prevalence survey of mental health among that population.

Ben Gummer: Holding answer received on 20 July 2015



The Government regards the Office of National Statistics 1998 survey, “Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales” as the most reliable assessment made of prisoner’ mental illness to date.   Public Health England (PHE), NHS England and the National Offender Management Service are completing a health needs assessment (HNA) of all prisons and young offender institutions in England. This will provide a detailed analysis of the prevalence of mental health diagnoses amongst people of all ages held in custody and of the services needed to support their mental health needs. Copies of the HNA template and toolkit published by PHE are attached.   HNAs will provide data in respect of prisoners. Data now being collected by NHS England from liaison and diversion services will provide a snapshot of the mental health needs of offenders at the moment they enter the criminal justice system, before sentencing. 



HNA Toolkit
(PDF Document, 526.29 KB)




HNA Template
(PDF Document, 728.31 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Small Businesses; Government Assistance

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 6 March 2015 to Question 225778, how many Growth Hubs are currently in operation; where each such hub is located and whether it has premises; when each such hub began operation; what public monies have been provided for each such hub; and what plans his Department has for further Growth Hubs in other local enterprise partnership areas.

Anna Soubry: There are currently 26 growth hubs across England. 13 new growth hubs will launch by March 2016, when there will be a growth hub available in every 39 LEP area. Details of the country’s growth hubs can be found on the LEP network website. The first growth hub was created in Greater Manchester in November 2011, followed by Cumbria in 2013. 15 Wave 2 City areas received funding to help establish growth hubs during 2014-15 and all areas outside London will receive funding during 2015-16 as part of their Local Growth Deal. Details of growth deal funding can be found on the GOV.UK website.  LEP AreaGrowth Deals 2015-16Black Country£400,000Buckinghamshire Thames Valley£350,000Cheshire & Warrington£350,000Coast to Capital£450,000Cornwall & Isles of Scilly£250,000Coventry and Warwickshire£400,000Cumbria£300,000D2N2£525,000Dorset£250,000Enterprise M3£350,000Gloucester & Gloucestershire£250,000Greater Birmingham & Solihull£625,000Greater Cambridge & Peterborough£300,000Greater Lincoln & Lincolnshire£300,000Greater Manchester£625,000Heart of the South West£400,000Leicester & Leicestershire£250,000Hertfordshire£350,000Humber£250,000Lancashire£400,000Leeds City Region£625,000Liverpool City Region£550,000London New Anglia£350,000Northamptonshire£250,000North East£500,000Oxford & Oxfordshire£250,000Sheffield City Region£500,000Solent£250,000South East£800,000South East Midlands£300,000Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire£250,000Swindon & Wiltshire£250,000Tees Valley£300,000Thames Valley Berkshire£250,000The Marches£250,000West of England£400,000Worcestershire£250,000York, North Yorkshire & East Riding£300,000

Student Finance England: Complaints

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to collect and publish data on whether students who make complaints to Student Finance England are satisfied with the way their complaints are dealt with.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company publishes performance data on customer satisfaction and timeliness in responding to complaints within its Annual Report and Accounts, which is publicly available on SLC’s website. There are no immediate plans to publish specific data on satisfaction levels of students who complain to Student Finance England.

Small Businesses: Bradford

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much support the British Business Bank has provided to small and medium-sized enterprises in Bradford since its creation.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what 10 sectors received most support from the British Business Bank in (a) Bradford, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK since that bank was established.

Anna Soubry: Since it became a plc in October 2014, British Business Bank programmes, excluding the Start-Up Loans scheme, have supported £1.2m of finance to small and medium sized enterprises in Bradford. Since the Start-Up Loans scheme began in September 2012 it has delivered over £1m worth of finance in Bradford.The top 10 sectors supported by British Business Bank programmes in Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber are as listed in the tables in the attached document.



British Business Bank sector support tables
(PDF Document, 147.48 KB)

Minimum Wage

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to (a) increase the national minimum wage for 18 to 20 year olds to £6.86 by 2020 and (b) open the national minimum wage entitlement for apprentices to that rate.

Nick Boles: The Government has published its 2016 remit to the Low Pay Commission (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443328/BIS-15-409-NMW-Low-Pay-Commission-Remit-2016.pdf). This asks the Low Pay Commission to monitor, evaluate and review the levels of each of the different National Minimum Wage rates and make recommendations on the increases it believes should apply from October 2016.

Electronic Equipment: Safety

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what legislation governs the sale of second-hand electrical goods; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: There are two pieces of legislation relevant to second hand electrical goods; the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, and the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which implement the EU’s General Product Safety Directive. They require that equipment must only be supplied which is safe.

Exports: Israel

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he will publish the review of extant export licensing and the licensing of new applications for Israel.

Anna Soubry: The outcome of the review was announced on 14 July 2014 and is available on the GOV.UK website under the title ‘Review of export licensing procedures for Israel’.

Students: Grants

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of students receiving maintenance grants in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics showing the number of English applicants awarded Maintenance Grants for study at UK providers are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx  Complete data for the academic year 2014/15 will be published by the SLC in November 2015 along with provisional data for 2015/16.

Apprentices: Taxation

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the apprenticeship levy will benefit those already in apprenticeships.

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how funding from the apprenticeship levy will be distributed.

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will hold a consultation on the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

Nick Boles: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) on 16th July to Question UIN 6449.

Members: Correspondence

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Leeds North West of 24 June 2015.

Anna Soubry: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills replied to the hon. Member on 16 July.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Tobacco

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many times (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met employees or third-party representatives of tobacco companies in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

George Freeman: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data

Virtual Reality Headsets

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the tests and risk assessments that are used to ensure that users of virtual reality headsets will not suffer eye damage.

Anna Soubry: All consumer products including virtual reality headsets are covered by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 which implements the EU’s General Product Safety Directive. The regulations impose requirements concerning the safety of products ensuring that only safe products are placed on the market. It is the obligation of the producer to hold appropriate documentation such as test results and risk assessments to show that their products are safe. The Department does not hold this information.

Virtual Reality Headsets

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department made an estimate of the number of virtual reality headsets that have been sold in the UK.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of virtual reality headsets sold in the UK.

Small Businesses: Certification Quality Marks

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses to produce products which comply with CE marking standards; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The CE marking indicates that a product complies with one or more pieces of EU Single Market legislation. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills works with businesses, including small businesses, to support them in meeting the requirements of the legislation, for example by producing guidance, working with trade associations to raise awareness, and engaging directly with businesses to solve specific issues. In addition, I will continue to press the European Commission to identify opportunities to reduce the burden of complying with Single Market legislation, particularly for SMEs, wherever possible.

Economic Growth: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Assembly on ensuing business growth in the Northern Ireland economy.

Anna Soubry: The Government is committed to implementing ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, the Economic Pact between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive which aims to help rebalance the economy and build a more united and stronger society. As part of this, my officials have held discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive to progress a range of matters, such as measures to improve access to finance, reduce regulatory burdens and support innovation.

Small Businesses: Certification Quality Marks

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the effect on small businesses of them meeting CE marking requirements on their products; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The CE marking indicates that a product complies with one or more pieces of EU Single Market legislation. The cost of compliance for small businesses therefore varies significantly depending on which legislation applies, and reflects factors such as the complexity of the product and the risks associated with it. Whilst I have not made a specific assessment of these costs at an aggregate level, I will continue to press the European Commission to identify opportunities to reduce the burden of complying with Single Market legislation, particularly for SMEs, wherever possible.

Low Pay Commission

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to publish revised Terms of Reference for the Low Pay Commission.

Nick Boles: On 8 July the Government published the 2015 remit for the Low Pay Commission, which sets out their role in relation to the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage rates. A copy of the remit can be found on the GOV.UK website

Pay: Greater London

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will ask the Low Pay Commission to (a) publish an analysis of which sectors of the UK economy could afford to increase wages above the new statutory minimum and (b) carry out a review of a separate wage-floor that could be applied in London.

Nick Boles: The Government has announced a new mandatory National Living Wage for all workers aged 25 and over, to be introduced at £7.20 from April 2016.   The Low Pay Commission considers carefully the economic conditions in sectors and different geographic areas when developing its recommendations to Government on the National Minimum Wage. It publishes this analysis each year. However, the Government has no plans to ask the Low Pay Commission to publish a review of separate wage-floors that could be applied in London.   The simplicity of the National Minimum Wage – its UK-wide coverage – is crucial to its success. Having a UK wide National Minimum Wage provides clarity for employers, particularly those who operate across the UK and all of its sectors.

Low Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what target he has set for reducing the number of employees who earn below two-thirds of the median hourly wage.

Nick Boles: The Government has announced a new mandatory National Living Wage to be introduced at £7.20 in April 2016 for those aged 25 and over. The Government has set out the ambition that this should continue to increase to reach 60% of median earnings by 2020, subject to sustained economic growth.

Digital Technology

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what criteria were used to select the next generation digital economy centres announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 July 2015 to UIN 6470.

Business: Advisory Services

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2015 to Question 2127, how many Growth Vouchers were not redeemed by the deadline of 30 June; and what the total value was of those unredeemed vouchers.

Anna Soubry: 13,199 vouchers have not been redeemed, which have a total maximum value of £26,398,000.

Students: Loans

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish an updated assessment of the RAB charge taking into account announcements in the Summer Budget 2015; and what estimate he has made since that Budget on the level of RAB charge in each of the next five years.

Joseph Johnson: The RAB charge is an estimate and will always fluctuate. Switching grants to loans increases the aggregated RAB charge. We are consulting on freezing the repayment threshold, which may mean that overall the RAB charge would reduce.   My Department publishes an updated estimate of the RAB charge each year, close to the time of the publication of BIS accounts. The most recent estimate of the 15/16 RAB charge was published on 14 July 2015. The estimate, together with an updated simplified version of the model for calculating the RAB charge can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/stepmodel   An updated assessment of the RAB charge will be published next summer alongside BIS accounts for 2015-16.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) examined on the potential effects of announcements in the Summer Budget 2015 on the number of students (i) applying to and (ii) taking up places at universities.

Joseph Johnson: The growth in student numbers since 2012, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, suggests that students are not deterred from entering Higher Education when asked to bear more of the cost of their study.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what forecast his Department or its agencies has made of the number of (a) applications to and (b) numbers taking up places at universities in each of the next five years; and whether those forecasts have been changed as a result of announcements in the Summer Budget 2015.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not forecast the number of applications to universities.   For the purposes of planning Government expenditure and financial transactions, and prior to the summer budget, the Department agreed with the Office for Budget Responsibility the full-time Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)-fundable undergraduate entrant scenario shown in the table below. This scenario takes into account the projected decline in the young population. The actual number of new entrants will depend on the decisions of applicants and institutions. The Government does not expect the student finance announcements made at the Budget to affect the general trend we have seen of rising student numbers.   Table: HEFCE-fundable full-time undergraduate entrant forecasts  2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/20Entrants370,000380,000386,000389,000390,000

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) formal and (b) informal support is being provided by the Government to the local enterprise partnership network.

Anna Soubry: The Government has provided funding of £78k to the Local Enterprise Partnership Network to cover some of their operational costs in 2015-16. Together with a contribution of £5k from each of the 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships, this funding helps to facilitate best-practice sharing and communications between Local Enterprise Partnerships. There is a strong relationship and regular dialogue between the Local Enterprise Partnership Network and Government.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of staff of his Department were based in each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: The number and proportion of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) staff based in each region of the UK (as shown on the BIS staff database) as at 31 March 2015 was as follows:   LocationHeadcountPercentageBirmingham371.5%Bristol120.5%Cambridge80.3%Cardiff461.8%London206581.2%National1335.2%Sheffield2419.5%Grand Total2542100.0%   Due to a change in the database used to capture staff information it is not possible to provide data for previous years within the timescale.

Innovation and Science

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) provision he has made and (b) guidance he plans to issue on the development of Science and Innovation Audits in areas which are part of more than one local enterprise partnership.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 July 2015 to Question UIN 6482.

Overseas Students

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the net economic contribution of non-EU university students to the UK economy.

Joseph Johnson: In the Government’s International Education Strategy, published in July 2013, the value of international higher education students to the UK was valued at £9.7bn, of which £7.0bn was associated with students from non-EU countries. The international education strategy can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity

Overseas Students

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of likely changes in the number of non-EU national students studying at UK universities over the next five years.

Joseph Johnson: Projections provided by English Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) of their anticipated non-EU student numbers up to 2016-17 were published in ‘Financial health of the higher education sector’ in October 2014 at the following link: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2014/201426/   Institutions’ projections showed that the number of non-EU students studying at English institutions (for all years of study) was expected to rise between 4.8 and 5.8 per cent per year between 2013-14 and 2016-17.

Overseas Students

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK university funding contributed by non-EU nationals.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on the finances of UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Latest statistics refer to the 2013/14 academic year and show that income from non-EU student fees totalled £3.9 billion and accounted for 12.7% of overall income of publicly-funded HEIs.   More information is available at the following link: https://hesa.ac.uk/pr213

Public Houses

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent progress he has made on publishing a statutory code for pub companies; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 places a duty on the Secretary of State to introduce a Statutory Pubs Code by 26 May 2016. The Code and associated secondary legislation will be subject to public consultation later this year before they are considered by Parliament under the affirmative resolution procedure.

Students: Grants

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of those eligible to receive university maintenance grants were (a) women, (b) men, (c) black and minority ethnic, (d) white British and (e) disabled in the last financial year.

Joseph Johnson: Statistics showing the number of English applicants awarded Maintenance Grants for study at UK providers each academic year are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’. http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx.   There were a total of 567,000 Maintenance Grants awarded to English applicants at UK providers in the academic year 2013/14. Of these: 55% were female, 45% male, and 7% were also awarded a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). The split for woman and men is consistent with their representation in the student population where female students account for 56% of the total population. Complete data for the academic year 2014/15 will be published by the SLC in November 2015.   DSA has been provided as a proxy for disability. Information on the ethnicity of applicants is voluntary to return, with only a small proportion of applicants choosing to provide this information. As a result, breakdowns on ethnicity are unlikely to be reliable and have not been provided.

Students: Grants

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the likely default rate of the new university maintenance loans; and what provisions he has made to cover that cost.

Joseph Johnson: Student loans are not like a bank loan or credit card. Repayments do not have to made if the borrower’s income is below £21k. There is, therefore, no default rate as such, but a borrower who moves overseas and fails to repay even though they are earning over the threshold is in default.   Maintenance loans are either repaid during the loan term, or written off after 30 years, or if the borrower dies or becomes permanently unable to work as a result of disability. Provision for the cost of future write offs is made in BIS accounts each year. This is known as the RAB charge.

Property: Registration

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons a person registering title to a property is not required to provide proof of the applicant's identity; and whether he plans to review the requirements for proving identity when registering title to a property.

Anna Soubry: Land Registry is the land registration authority for England and Wales. It requires confirmation of a person’s identity (including when the person is a corporate body, for example a company) when an application is made to register:   · a transfer of a property or a transfer of a mortgage, both for value and not for value, for example, by way of gift; · a lease of property, both for value and not for value, · a surrender of a registered lease, · a mortgage · a discharge or release of a mortgage when the discharge or release is in paper form.   Confirmation of identity is also required on:   · the first registration of a freehold or leasehold estate following an event which induces registration, for example a sale or mortgage, · the voluntary first registration of a freehold or leasehold estate where the title deeds have been lost or destroyed.   The confirmation of identity is required for both the person disposing or granting the interest, for example, the seller, and also for the person acquiring the interest, for example, the buyer.   Land Registry also requires confirmation of identity when a person changes their name and the change is evidenced by deed poll, a statutory declaration or statement of truth, and when a citizen applies to change their address in the land register.   Land Registry does not routinely require confirmation of identity in other situations but may ask for this before completing a registration if it considers it prudent to do so.   Confirmation of identity is also not required where the value of the land involved in a disposal does not exceed £6,000.   Land Registry’s requirements are based on the most significant fraud risks which are where an application is made to change the registered owner of a registered estate or a mortgage or their details in the register. It keeps its counter-fraud requirements under regular review and has from time-to-time introduced additional requirements to deal with identified threats.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the locations are of the seven ground control stations used for control of his Department's 10 Reapers.

Penny Mordaunt: The Reaper ground control stations are located at RAF Waddington, Creech Air Force Base, Nevada and the Middle East in support of the international coalition's ongoing operation to counter the threat of ISIL.

Trident

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the operational viability of the UK's Trident programme as part of the continuous at-sea deterrent.

Michael Fallon: Her Majesty's Government takes its responsibilities extremely seriously to ensure and assure a minimum credible nuclear deterrent based upon a policy of Continuous At Sea Deterrence, delivered by the Royal Navy. To sustain this, we are committed to replacing the current Vanguard-class submarines with a fleet of four Successor ballistic missile submarines.

Ministry of Defence: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for his Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

Mark Lancaster: This Government is the first to introduce a compulsory Living Wage. All employers will be required to comply with the new national Living Wage of £7.20 per hour for those aged 25 and above, as set out in the budget statement.

EU Defence Policy

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of a more joined-up EU defence policy.

Mr Julian Brazier: The UK takes an active role in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. As the Prime Minister made clear at the June European Council we want to see the EU's Comprehensive Approach properly coordinated with the action of EU institutions, Member States, and other International Organisations, particularly NATO. The Comprehensive Approach is complementary to the role that NATO has as the cornerstone of European Defence. Member States agreed to take action to improve the delivery of the Comprehensive Approach at the Foreign Affairs Council in May, and will return to the issue in 2016.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has established an Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Communications team.

Penny Mordaunt: The Directorate of Defence Communications (DDC) is responsible for the Ministry of Defence's corporate communications; including on the subject of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The DDC is supported by policy leads and subject matter experts from across the Department.

Iraq: Armed Conflict

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assistance his Department has given to the Iraqi army in its operations against Daesh forces in Northern Iraq.

Penny Mordaunt: As part of the wider Coalition air campaign, RAF Tornado and Reaper aircraft have been flying missions, including across northern Iraq, to support operations conducted by Iraqi security forces fighting ISIL on the ground while UK intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and air-to-air refuelling aircraft have been providing crucial enabling capabilities. The UK has also trained over 1,600 personnel in northern Iraq and is now expanding its training provision to other coalition sites.

Defence: Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total value of defence-related contracts placed by his Department with suppliers from Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency was in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The value of Ministry of Defence contracts placed in each of the last five financial years with suppliers in the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency is given below. YearCurrent total value of contracts (£ million) 2010-114.92011-121.32012-131.82013-142.62014-1542.7 The analysis is based on direct contracts with suppliers where the billing address has a postcode in the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath consituency. It does not include work which may have been subcontracted to companies in the constituency from other regions of the UK and no adjustment has been made for enabling contracts that cover the whole of the MOD estate. It also does not include contracts with MOD Trading Funds or miscellaneous expenditure. The figures, therefore, are likely to be an underestimate of defence procurement in the constituency.   Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish information about the contracts they award on Contracts Finder: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder.   In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000 on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-finance-transparency-dataset.

Armed Forces: Human Experiments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British service personnel have died as a direct result of (a) voluntary and (b) involuntary participation in experimental tests using (i) chemical weapon agents, (ii) biological weapon agents, (iii) psychoactive pharmaceutical agents and (iv) radioactive materials in the last 30 years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Only a single member of the UK Armed Forces has died as the direct result of participation in experimental tests carried out at Porton Down on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.On 6 May 1953 Leading Aircraftsman Ronald George Maddison died from the effects of asphyxia after taking part in a trial involving a chemical weapon agent at the then Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment at Porton Down. The death was reported to Parliament on 9 June 1953.

Defence Discount Service

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total net cost is to his Department of the Defence Discount Service.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have signed up for the Defence Discount Service.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Discount Service is a valuable and tangible part of the nation's recognition and appreciation of the Armed Forces Community. It is also an important element in developing the Armed Forces Covenant across the UK. The Defence Discount Service gives members of the Armed Forces Community discounts both online and on the high street. Blue Light Card Ltd provides this service at no cost to the MOD. There are over 253,000 people currently signed up to the service and this is currently increasing by over 1,600 members per month. Further information regarding the Defence Discount Service can be found atwww.defencediscountservice.co.uk .

Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the contribution of the Minister for Defence Procurement of 23 June 2015, Official Report, columns 861-62, when he expects the planned consultation to commence; and for what reasons this will be part of a separate strand of work to review all current bylaws at 200 defence sites.

Mr Philip Dunne: The proposed changes to the water space at the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC) requires an amendment to the facility's existing byelaw. This proposal coincides with a wider statutory review of byelaws for some 200 defence establishments currently being undertaken by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and is being taken forward as part of that work. It is planned that the public consultation process for the BUTEC site will start later this summer once preparatory legal work to draft the revised byelaw has been completed.Separately, QinetiQ will shortly hold discussions with the local fishing community and other stakeholders on the possible positioning of in-water equipment and its likely impact on fishing activities.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the use of unmanned remotely piloted aircraft systems as part of future UK defence capability; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) are proving their value to Defence in a range of operations around the world. As part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the MOD is considering the case for further investment in RPAS capability. It is currently too early to determine the outcome of this work.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2015 to Question 3169, how many of the eight aircraft that have been ordered are necessary to meet the threshold for initial operating capability.

Mr Philip Dunne: Of the eight F-35B aircraft that the UK has so far ordered, three will undertake operational test and evaluation flying. The remaining five will contribute to the Initial Operating Capability.

RAF Regiment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what projections his Department has made of the target strength of the Royal Air Force Regiment of the Royal Air Force in each of the next five years.

Mark Lancaster: The projection for the target strength of the Royal Air Force Regiment of the Royal Air Force for the current and subsequent four financial years is as follows: 2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20Total2,2902,1602,1302,2102,230

Military Aircraft

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out of service date is for the (a) Typhoon Tranche 1, (b) Typhoon Tranche 2, (c) Typhoon Tranche 3 and (d) Tornado GR4.

Mr Philip Dunne: The current planning assumptions for the out of service dates for Typhoon are: Tranche 1, 2019; Tranche 2, 2030; and Tranche 3, 2030. The current planning assumption for the out of service date for Tornado GR4 is 2019.

Type 23 Frigates

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned crew complement by (a) rank and (b) specialisation is for the Type 23 Global Combat Ship.

Mr Philip Dunne: As we move forward in the Demonstration Phase for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship, work continues to determine the detailed manning requirements for these vessels.

Defence Equipment and Support

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many working hours each week are provided by staff from (a) Bechtel, (b) PwC and (c) CH2M Hill under the managed service provider contracts to facilitate Defence Equipment and Support's transition to a trading entity.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Bechtel and CH2M Hill Managed Service Provider (MSP) contracts are based on a standard working week of 40 hours and the PwC MSP contract has a 37 hour working week, although actual weekly hours worked will depend upon the needs of the programme.

Army

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2015 to Question 1249, whether his Department has targets for army strength for each year up to 2020.

Mr Julian Brazier: Yes. The target for the size of the Army for each year up to 2020 is around 82,000.

Defence Equipment and Support

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in each salary band from (a) Bechtel, (b) PwC and (c) CH2M Hill are working under the managed service provider contracts to facilitate Defence Equipment and Support's transition to a trading entity.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff from (a) Bechtel, (b) PwC and (c) CH2M Hill have been seconded to work full-time in Defence Equipment and Support as part of the managed service provider contracts to facilitate its transition to a trading entity.

Mr Philip Dunne: The number and the grade of staff from Bechtel, PwC and CH2M Hill engaged in Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) varies across the period of the Managed Service Provider contracts. The total number and current breakdown of staff by grade is as follows:  BechtelCH2M HillLevel 332Level 277Level 16258Total7267  PwCPartner3Director5Senior Manager12Manager24Senior Associate20Associate7Total71  The different "levels" for Bechtel and CH2M HILL reflect the internal grading systems of those companies. Level 3 is the most senior and refers to a Partner, or professional person of similar seniority.

Defence Equipment and Support

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) length and (b) value is of his Department's managed service provider contracts with (i) Bechtel, (ii) PwC and (iii) CH2M Hill related to Defence Equipment and Support's transition to a trading entity.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Bechtel and CH2M Hill contracts are due to run for three and a half years with the option of two one-year extensions. Their combined value is approximately £215 million over the course of the initial term.The PwC contract is due to run for three years with the option of two one-year extensions. Its value is approximately £43 million over the initial three years.

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has been allocated from the Joint Security Fund in each year up to 2020.

Michael Fallon: As well as the annual real terms increase in the defence budget announced in the summer budget, up to an additional £1.5 billion per year by 2020-21 will be made available for the Ministry of Defence and Security and Intelligence agencies. The process of allocation will be determined through the Strategic Defence and Security Review and Spending Review which conclude later this year.

Defence Equipment and Support

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff work for Defence Equipment and Support at the Abbey Wood site; and how many of those staff are militarily trained.

Mr Philip Dunne: As at 1 April 2015, 7,700 civilian and military personnel worked for Defence Equipment and Support at its Abbey Wood site. Of this number, 880 personnel have been military trained.

Marines

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what projections his Department has made of the target strength of the Royal Marines in each of the next five years.

Mark Lancaster: On current plans the requirements for Trained Regular Royal Marines[1] is as follows:April 20156,600April 20166,600April 20176,600April 20186,600April 20196,600April 20206,600[1] This answer is based on the Navy Planning Liability which is used for planning purposes within the Royal Navy and the figures are rounded to the nearest 100. The numbers exclude a number of Royal Marine specialisations such as Chefs; Medical Assistants; Aircrewman Commando and Pilots, included with Royal Navy branches for planning purposes.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Press

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which newspapers, journals and periodicals his Department subscribes to; and how much his Department spent on newspapers, journals and periodicals in 2014.

Mr Mark Francois: I refer the hon.Member to the answer I gave on 7 July, PQ 5247. In addition, I confirm that the cost stated for our two main suppliers does include journals, as well as newspapers, magazines and periodicals. There may be other expenditure on specialist publications, however this is not held centrally and would be a disproportionate cost to the Department to collate this.

Communities and Local Government: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for his Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

Mr Mark Francois: My rt. hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (George Osborne), has announced a new National Living Wage of £7.20 an hour as of April 2016, expected to reach £9 an hour by 2020. All DCLG employees are currently paid above this and above the current London and National living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. DCLG will continue to seek to pay their employees at or above the Living Wage (as defined by the Living Wage Foundation) provided increases are affordable within Civil Service pay controls.

Mayors: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with local authority leaders in Yorkshire on creating the post of Mayor of Yorkshire.

James Wharton: The Summer Budget announced that the Government is working towards further devolution deals with Sheffield City Region and Leeds, West Yorkshire and Local Partners. It is for local partners, as part of these negotiations, to determine the area covered by the deals but I would be happy to meet with a representation to discuss further.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of households in social housing (a) in London and (b) in each local authority area in London have an annual income above £40,000.

Brandon Lewis: According to the English Housing Survey in 2011 there were 43,000 households in social housing in London with an annual income of above £40,000. This represents 6% of all households in social housing in London. We do not hold this information for local authorities.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to promote shared equity housing as a preferred housing tenure with (a) local authorities and (b) registered providers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the operation of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 in respect of the imposition of service charges for part-owners of shared equity properties and whether such charges are set at a reasonable level; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Between April 2010 and March 2015 we have delivered 41,000 new shared ownership homes. Shared ownership is an integral part of the Affordable Homes Programme and we will continue to encourage providers and local authorities to consider shared ownership as a way to meet the needs of households who aspire to home ownership but may otherwise be priced out of the market. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 provides rights and protections for service charge payers, including those purchasing under shared ownership. The Act states that only relevant costs shall be taken into account when determining a service charge to the extent that they are reasonably incurred, and where incurred on the provision of services or works, only if the services or works are of a reasonable standard. Where they are believed to be unreasonable, leaseholders have the right to challenge them at the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal.

Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of households in social housing have an annual income above £30,000 in (a) England, (b) England outside London, (c) each region of England outside London and (d) each local authority outside London.

Brandon Lewis: According to the English Housing Survey in 2011 there were 349,000 households in social housing in England with an annual income of above £30,000 in 2011. This represents 9% of all households in social housing in England. According to the English Housing Survey in there were 250,000 households in social housing in England outside London with an annual income of above £30,000 in 2011. This represents 8% of all households in social housing in England outside London. The following table provides the number and proportion of households in social housing with an annual income of above £30,000 in 2011 for each region of England excluding London: North East16,0006%North West31,0006%Yorkshire and the Humber26,0006%East Midlands19,0007%West Midlands28,0007%East44,00012%South East59,00013%South West27,0009% We do not hold this information for local authorities.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have (a) applied and (b) been granted approval for permission to use housing revenue account funds to assist with the costs of welfare reform.

Brandon Lewis: All requests from local authorities seeking clarification that they can use their housing revenue account to provide financial assistance in relation to housing costs related to welfare reform have been approved and directions issued. This affects the following local authorities:   Ashfield District Council Basildon Borough Council Birmingham City Council Brighton and Hove City Council Canterbury City Council Crawley Borough Council Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Gateshead Council Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Hull City Council Ipswich Borough Council Kettering Borough Council Leeds City Council Lewes District Council London Borough of Brent London Borough of Croydon London Borough of Hackney London Borough of Lewisham London Borough of Newham London Borough of Redbridge London Borough of Southwark London Borough of Wandsworth Manchester City Council Melton Borough Council Milton Keynes Council Nottingham City Council North West Leicestershire District Council Oxford City Council Poole Borough Council Reading Borough Council Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Runnymede Borough Council Sandwell Council Selby Borough Council Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council South Cambridgeshire District Council South Tyneside Council Swindon Borough Council Waveney District Council Wealden District Council Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council West Lancashire Borough Council

Housing: Licensing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities operate selective or additional licensing schemes under the terms of the Housing Act 2004.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not collect data on the number of additional and selective licensing schemes operated by local authorities.

Social Rented Housing: Empty Property

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many properties became vacant in the social housing stock in each local authority area in 2013-14.

Brandon Lewis: The numbers of vacant local authority and private registered provider dwellings in each local authority district in England are published in the Department’s live table 615 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants The table includes estimates of vacants at the end of 2013/14 and not the number becoming vacant during the year.

Leisure: Per Capita Costs

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) absolute and (b) proportionate change in per capita funding allocated to sports and leisure was between 2010-11 and 2013-14 in each local authority area.

Mr Marcus Jones: Data on the expenditure on Recreation and Sport by local authorities are published online in the Revenue Outturn Cultural, Environmental, Regulatory and Planning Services (RO5), which are available at the following link: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing Recreation and Sport is amongst the services supported through the Business Rates Retention Scheme. Both retained business rates and revenue support grant, together with council tax, are unringfenced funding streams meaning that authorities can use them on any service. It is not, therefore, possible to say how much funding has been provided for these services.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Pay

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make a recommendation on the appropriate pay for the Chief Executives of Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance he gives to Local Enterprise Partnerships on salaries for Chief Executives of such Partnerships.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what oversight mechanisms are in place for the setting of salaries paid to Chief Executives of Local Enterprise Partnerships.

James Wharton: Local Enterprise Partnerships are independent and voluntary partnerships between local authorities, businesses and other bodies like universities and charities. As such, it is for the partnerships themselves to decide on salaries for their staff. The Government does not provide guidance, nor does it have a specific oversight mechanism, on salary setting. Local Enterprise Partnerships are accountable to their local communities through their civic leaders and engagement with their business community.

Railways: Elstree

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2015 to Question 4550, what estimate his Department made of the (a) cost and (b) timescale of work needing to be carried out on the Elstree Tunnels prior to his approval of the planning application for the Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Terminal.

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2015 to Question 4550, what estimate his Department made of what the source of the funding would be for the work required on the Elstree Tunnels prior to his approval of the planning application for the Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Terminal.

Brandon Lewis: The Secretary of State's decision letter of 14 July 2014 sets out in full the evidence he took into account in reaching his decision on this appeal. That letter is available to view athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recovered-appeal-former-aerodrome-north-orbital-road-upper-colne-valley-hertfordshire-ref-2109433-14-july-2014.

Social Rented Housing: Greater London

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of social homes in London occupied by non-UK residents.

Brandon Lewis: In 2013-14, 15% of social renters in London were non-UK/Irish nationals.If a tenant is not resident in the UK, we would expect a social landlord to take action to recover the property and allocate it to someone in need on the waiting list. Statutory guidance for local councils issued in 2013 will ensure that only people who have lived in the area for two years or more are able to put their name down on the housing waiting list.

Public Houses

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Minister for Local Government has met (a) pub-owning companies, (b) the British Beer & Pub Association, (c) CAMRA, (d) the Pubs Advisory Services, (e) Fair Pint and (f) other people or bodies to discuss the statutory pubs code and the Government's policy towards pubs since 7 May 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since being appointed on 20 May 2015 I have, in my role as Community Pubs Minister, met senior representatives of the British Beer and Pub Association, CAMRA, Punch Taverns, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, the British Institute of Innkeeping and the Perceptions Group to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the pubs and brewing sector.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for his Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

David Mundell: This government is the first government to introduce a compulsory Living Wage. All employers will be required to comply with the new national Living Wage of £7.20/ph for those 25 and above, as set out in the Budget.The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff in the Scotland Office are on assignment, secondment or loan from other Government bodies, in the majority of cases, the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice.

Scotland Act 2012

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 6014, for what reason it is the Government's policy not to place such documents in the Library.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Scotland Act 2012

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 6014, if he will publish a summary of the findings of the Office of Government Commerce's Gateway 0 strategic assessment of the Scotland Act 2012 implementation programme.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dover House

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many events have been hosted by non-government bodies at Dover House since he assumed his current appointment.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers from the Scottish Government on the implications of holding a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU on the same day as the elections to the Scottish Parliament.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if she will make it her policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for the Government Equalities Office from the Living Wage Foundation.

Caroline Dinenage: This government is the first government to introduce a compulsory Living Wage.  All employers will be required to comply with the new national Living Wage of £7.20/ph for those 25 and above, as set out in the Budget.

Department for Transport

Bradford Interchange Station

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of renovating Bradford Interchange station.

Claire Perry: The National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP) allocated just over £200k in 2011/12 to provide improved waiting room facilities at Bradford Interchange.  There are currently no plans for further work at this station. It should be noted that most of the station is not in the control of the rail industry, being an interchange owned by West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Calder Valley Railway Line

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to (a) shorten journey times and (b) increase train speeds on the Calder Valley Line between Bradford Interchange and Manchester Victoria.

Andrew Jones: There is a package of improvements to deliver significant journey time reductions between Bradford and Manchester. This is to be undertaken in two phases: 　as part of the Northern Hub early phases, there will be improvements from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge and later, with independent local funding, improvements are being promoted by West Yorkshire Combined Authority between Sowerby Bridge and Bradford.　 The two schemes together should cut the journey time to 53 minutes, which is approaching an around 9 per cent saving on the current best journey time.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on changing the (a) frequency and (b) volume of freight moved by rail between Felixstowe and Tilbury ports.

Claire Perry: The frequency and volume of freight moved between any origin and destination is a commercial matter for the rail freight operators and their customers. The Department’s policy is to encourage the use of rail for freight transport where it is practical, economic and environmentally sustainable to do so, and to ensure that rail freight has fair and transparent access to the rail network, regardless of the route in question.

East Anglia Railway Line: Franchises

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether access for disabled people at Diss and Stowmarket stations will be a condition of the new franchise contract for the Eastern Main Line.

Claire Perry: We will expect bidders for the new franchise to take account of stakeholder aspirations and consider multiple ways to improve on the customers’ experience on the train and at stations.

Public Transport: Yorkshire and the Humber

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of public transport in (a) Bradford and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Andrew Jones: This Government is investing significantly to improve public transport in Yorkshire and the Humber, including:  providing transport authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber with £97.9m of Integrated Transport Block funding over the period 2015/16 to 2017/18, with a further £97.9m provisionally allocated for the period 2018/19 to 2020/21 to take forward local schemes with their areas,£10.3m for two new railway stations at Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge on the busy Airedale commuter route into Leeds.£173.5m towards the £250m Leeds NGT scheme, the first modern trolleybus scheme in the UK.£15.9m for the South Yorkshire Bus Rapid Transit (North) bus priority infrastructure between Sheffield and Rotherham, including a new highway link under the M1 at Tinsley Viaduct.£12.4m for the Leeds Station Southern Access scheme which will provide providing a new entrance to the south of Leeds Station providing better access to the South Bank development and regeneration area.£9.6m for three Local Sustainable Transport schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber in 2015/16.requiring bidders for the new Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises to replace outdated trains, add a third more capacity and invest in stations. This includes specifying an increase from 2 to 3 trains per hour between Bradford and Manchester via Halifax from 2019 (Monday-Saturday) and an increased Sunday frequency – from two hourly to hourly – from Bradford to Skipton and Ilkley.As part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bradford will benefit from the £39.4m Integrated Transport Block funding allocated to the Combined Authority for the period 2015/16 to 2017/18 (with a further £39.4m provisionally allocated for the period 2018/19 to 2020/21), out of the total allocated to Yorkshire and the Humber. In addition, through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal, Government is providing up to £781m over 20 years for the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund which will support transport schemes across the area, including improvements at rail stations and bus corridors.   The Government is working in partnership with Transport for the North to establish a clear, long-term transport vision for the North of England to support a Northern Powerhouse that is shared by all parties, and a portfolio of prioritised transport investment opportunities.

Space Technology: Llanbedr

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of locating a spaceport at Llanbedr, Gwynedd on transport in that area.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost of building a spaceport at Llanbedr, Gwynedd.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of building a spaceport at Llanbedr, Gwynedd on tourism businesses in that area.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on locating a spaceport in the UK.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that would be created by the introduction of a spaceport in Llanbedr, Gwynedd.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government’s ambition is for a UK spaceport that will be an integral part of Britain’s future in space, providing a focus for regional and international investment, creating new job opportunities, supporting our existing cutting-edge technology companies, and securing UK leadership in an important emerging market.The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has studied the potential for horizontal, sub-orbital spaceplane operations from the UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commercial-spaceplane-certification-and-operations-uk-government-review.  The Government’s aim now is to create the infrastructure and regulatory environment to operate these innovative technologies safely and commercially, alongside existing civilian and military users.Following consultation on criteria identified by the CAA for locating a UK spaceport https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/spaceport-locations-and-criteria, Llanbedr Airfield, along with Campbeltown Airport, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Newquay Cornwall Airport and Stornoway, were identified as potential locations for a permanent UK spaceport. RAF Leuchars was identified as a potential temporary facility.  The Government is now focussed on developing a technical specification of requirements to provide potential locations with clarity on the detail of what becoming a UK spaceport would involve. It is critical that we provide as much certainty as possible so that potential locations can assess whether spaceplane operations are both feasible and deliverable.   The United States is recognised as the leading nation on commercial sub-orbital spaceflight, and we are currently seeking input on our work from a number of US-based organisations. We are planning to share our work on the detailed technical requirements with all potential locations from September this year.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the proposals relating to Network Rail set out in paragraph 1.255 of the Summer Budget 2015, if he will publish in relation to those proposals a Green Paper or a White Paper; and whether those proposals will be subject to a public consultation.

Claire Perry: In paragraph 1.255 of the Summer Budget 2015 the government announced a number of proposals relating to Network Rail. These included appropriate methods of transparency and consultation:   The Secretary of State has asked Sir Peter Hendy, Chair of Network Rail, to continue the company’s work of devolving more power to route managers. This is an internal management matter for Network Rail, which I look forward to discussing with them further.The government will change the way it channels public money through the industry, directing it through train operating companies. This will involve detailed consultation with industry as part of the Office of Rail and Road’s upcoming Periodic Review process (PR18).The government will also introduce a new approach to station redevelopment and commercial land sales on the rail network. This work will engage with the government’s ongoing Strategic Land and Property Review (SLPR). This will ensure a robust approach which is consistent with wider government work in this area.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the overall reduction of cost to High Speed 2 of terminating the proposed line at Old Oak Common including any necessary redesign of the station at Old Oak Common to make such a termination possible; and what effect such a reduction would have on the cost-benefit analysis for High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A number of options for the London terminal station for HS2 were considered as part of a strategic assessment in 2009. This included terminating HS2 at Old Oak Common. Only options that were included in the final sift were subject to detailed evaluation including a cost assessment.   Early transport analysis found that the bulk of the demand for HS2 would come from the central, north and south of London which would be best served by a central London station. Given that, Old Oak Common would not deliver the same level of benefits as a central London station and it was not included as part of the final sift and was therefore not subject to a cost analysis.

Railways: North of England

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on employment in Greater Manchester of pausing the Manchester to Leeds electrification project in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) 2019.

Andrew Jones: The department does not have an assessment of the impact of the pause on employment in Greater Manchester.

Railways: North of England

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what ministerial visits there have been associated with promoting the electrification of the Manchester to Leeds railway line since 2011; and what the cost of each such visit was.

Andrew Jones: Ministers visit all areas of the country to discuss transport projects and to see for themselves the transport requirements in various places. It is not possible to give the cost of each such visit. It is this Government which is committed to transport. With £70 billion of capital investment over the next five years, we will deliver the biggest transformation in our rail network since Victorian times and our road networks in a generation. As Ministers we visit various parts of the country and receive updates on this record investment as we play catch-up from falling from 7th to 33rd in the World Economic Forum infrastructure world rankings between 1997 and 2010.

Railways: North of England

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of passengers on the Manchester to Leeds railway line in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) 2019.

Andrew Jones: The Department is currently running competitions to decide who will operate the new TransPennine Express and Northern franchises that commence in April 2016.　 The Department expects significant future growth on the services between Manchester and Leeds, supported by the substantial increase in capacity that the operator of the new franchises will be required to deliver.　 However, releasing specific forecasts of future passenger growth on routes served by the franchises during the competitions for those franchises could compromise the Department’s commercial position until the franchise competitions are concluded.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2015 to Question 5694, what projects will receive how much funding for projects in addition to the Rail Investment Strategy in each year as part of funding available.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State announced on 25th June that he had commissioned from the incoming Chair of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendy, proposals for re-planning the Control Period 5 (CP5) programme. It would be premature to comment on the detailed delivery of individual projects before Sir Peter reports. The Secretary of State has reaffirmed the commitment of this Government to ensure that the CP5 programme of rail investments will be delivered.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the 2014 review of Network Rail's enhancement programme carried out jointly by his Department, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road was initiated at his Department's request.

Claire Perry: By spring 2014, as Network Rail began to develop designs for its enhancements to a greater level of maturity, it identified increases in cost forecasts on some of the major electrification schemes and discussed these forecasts with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office of Rail and Roads (ORR).　Very few of the schemes had passed through the ORR’s regulatory process to ascertain their efficient price by this point in time, so the forecasts remained indicative.   In light of this emerging picture, last summer Secretary of State asked Network Rail as a matter of urgency to provide an update on forecast costs across the whole programme, working with the ORR and DfT officials.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2015 to Question 6453 and to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in his Department, the hon. Member for Devizes, on 8 July 2015, Official Report, column 107WH, on which date the Chief Executive of Network Rail gave a presentation to his Department's Board.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Chief Executive of Network Rail gave a presentation to the Department for Transport Board on 3rd September 2014 and 3rd June 2015.

Railways: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 5807, what the cost-benefit ratio was for the overall Midland Main Line upgrade package, including electrification and other works, on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the cost-benefit ratio for TransPennine electrification referred to in that Answer was on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Claire Perry: Initial work considering the overall Midland Main Line (MML) upgrade package, including electrification and other works indicates that for options which retain or improve fast intercity rolling stock, on all MML services the benefit cost ratio (BCR) would be in a range between 4.7 and 7.2 dependent on train length and train type.   The initial work on the North Transpennine electrification business case comprises a range of scenarios.　 As I said in my previous answer, the latest assessment of the BCR for electrification alone showed it was poor value for money (less than 1) but when it is combined with track improvements to provide faster journeys and more frequent services, it has the potential to be high value for money.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total VAT payable or received by the Government from the Severn Bridges' tolls has been to date.

Andrew Jones: The Crossings operated from 1992 to 2003 without VAT being applied on Severn Crossing tolls.   The amount of VAT that Severn River Crossings Ltd have paid to HMRC amounts to £154.2m between 2003 and 2014.

Railways: Tickets

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 5776, whether the routes covered by the existing Southern and Gatwick Express franchise, which will be migrating into Govia Thameslink Railway franchise on 26 July 2015, will also be obliged to introduce carnet-based season tickets based on ITSO certified smartmedia on or before 30 September 2015.

Andrew Jones: Yes.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Network Rail's Board minutes of 19 March 2015, when the Chief Executive of Network Rail first raised with him the need to take a decision on the deferral of enhanced projects.

Claire Perry: June 2015 was the first time the Secretary of State received advice that major projects should be paused in order to protect the public purse and to allow the programme to be reset.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates he has met the Chief Executive of Network Rail since 1 January 2015.

Claire Perry: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer on 13 July 2015, UIN 6150http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=6150.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects work on the electrification of the Midland Mainline to resume; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: On 25th June the Secretary of State announced that work on Midland Main Line electrification was being paused pending Sir Peter Hendy’s proposals this autumn on re-planning the Control Period 5 programme, at which point the Secretary of State will make a statement to the House. It would be premature to speculate now on the outcome of the re-plan.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what mechanisms exist to allow vehicle owners to opt out of having their details sold to private sector organisations by the DVLA.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) takes the protection and security of its data very seriously. A comprehensive set of safeguards is in place to ensure data is disclosed only where it is lawful and fair to do so.   Individuals may write to the DVLA to request that their personal information is not disclosed if it would cause unwarranted and substantial damage or distress. The DVLA does not operate a blanket opt-out process but considers each such request taking into account the individual’s particular circumstances.

Railways: Standards

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2015 to Question 4668, whether cost overruns and potential delays on Network Rail's enhancement programme were discussed at the Performance Delivery Group meeting of 24 March 2015.

Claire Perry: The meeting focused on the operational performance of the railway and how it is serving the needs of passengers, including the industry’s readiness to manage services and communications to passengers during the engineering works planned at Easter, but it did not discuss issues around the cost or programming of the enhancement programme itself.

Large Goods Vehicles

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of whether the powers local councils and police have to enforce restrictions on heavy goods vehicles driving on weight-restricted roads are sufficient to protect rural roads and surrounding environments.

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to require heavy goods vehicles satellite navigation system providers to remove weight-restricted roads from their routes.

Andrew Jones: All road users benefit from clear directions, including HGV drivers. It is clearly not in the interests of HGV drivers to rely upon inaccurate information, which may make them late or even involve them in accidents. Nevertheless, we believe that legislation would be a costly, bureaucratic and inappropriate way of dealing with the problem. Instead we have made significant efforts to link together freight associations, local authorities and satnav companies to ensure that HGV drivers are aware of the issue and have the latest information available to them.   Councils already have the means to set height and weight restrictions for roads, which are enforced by the police, and HGV satnav devices increasingly include up-to-date routing information that takes account of such restrictions.   Decisions on all aspects of traffic management policy are the responsibility of local traffic authorities, and how they and the police enforce this once they are in place it is a matter for them. We believe the necessary enforcement powers are available for this.

East Coast Railway Line: Level Crossings

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2015 to Question 6464, how many of the 73 East Coast Main Line level crossings Network Rail plans to close during Control Period 5.

Claire Perry: Network Rail will consider the case for closure of level crossings on the East Coast Main Line during Control Period 5 alongside other schemes to reduce risk at level crossings on the network.

Bus Services: Working Hours

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on implementation of EU rules on domestic bus driving hours.

Andrew Jones: The EU drivers’ hours rules (Regulation (EC) 561/2006) requires Member States to lay down their own rules for vehicles used for the carriage of passengers on regular routes where the route covered does not exceed 50km. In GB, the domestic drivers' hours rules (contained in the Transport Act 1968) meet this requirement.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Nuclear Power

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the statement of the President of the US of 7 April 2015 on negotiations with Iran, what assessment he has made of the implication for his policy of Iran's breakout period shrinking to almost zero after the first decade of a possible nuclear deal.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Under the terms of the agreement – in addition to the restrictions on Iran’s enrichment capacity – Iran will be limited to a maximum stockpile of 300kg of uranium enriched to up to 3.67% for 15 years. Iran's breakout period will be over 12 months for 10 years, and is not expected to fall to zero afterwards. The agreement will also lead to significantly increased transparency, in particular through implementation of the Additional Protocol and Modified Code 3.1. This will increase the IAEA’s ability to identify a breakout attempt; and significantly increase the time that the international community has to respond in such a scenario.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications of its policies of the Human Rights Watch report on the airstrikes on Saada city in Northern Yemen published on 30 June 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Saudi Arabian-led military action followed the legitimate President Hadi’s request for support by ‘all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression’. We have received repeated assurances from the Saudi Arabian-led coalition that they are complying with International Humanitarian Law and we continue to engage with them on those assurances. We are aware of reports of Coalition airstrikes targeting the city of Saada and have raised these reports with the Saudi Arabian authorities. We continue to urge all parties to the conflict to adhere to International Humanitarian Law.

Eritrea: Human Rights

Keir Starmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea brought before the UN Human Rights Council on 4 June 2015, what steps he has taken to (a) ensure that no UK or EU funding is provided to Eritrea that in any way strengthens or enhances their capability to repress or oppress the Eritrean people, (b) follow up the Commission's finding within the UN and (c) provide assistance to the UN Somali/Eritrea Monitoring Group in investigating alleged abuses by the Eritrean government.

Grant Shapps: The UK does not provide direct funding to the Government of Eritrea. The only funding from the UK in Eritrea is to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). We also give core funding to a number of multilateral organisations that work in Eritrea, including the African Development Bank, EU and Global Fund. The EU’s development funds are conditional under the terms of the Cotonou Agreement. The EU’s 2014-20 development funding for Eritrea is under discussion and has not yet been approved. We share the Commission of Inquiry’s concerns regarding human rights in Eritrea, in particular widespread arbitrary detention and shortcomings in the rule of law and respect for fundamental freedoms. We regret the Government of Eritrea’s failure to receive the Commission in Asmara, which compelled the Commission to rely on witnesses who are outside the country. The UN Human Rights Council, of which the UK is a member, voted on 2 July 2015 to extend the Commission’s mandate for one year to allow the Commission to further investigate the human rights situation in Eritrea. The UK will continue to engage closely with the Commission, and with other parts of the UN system, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea. The Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group’s (SEMG) mandate is not to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Eritrea. The SEMG’s remit is to investigate any attempts by the Government of Eritrea to destabilise the Horn of Africa by supplying arms or financial support to Al-Shabaab. The SEMG is due to submit its full report to the UN Security Council this autumn. We have made clear to Eritrea that it must cooperate fully with the Monitoring Group.

Exports

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the value of UK exports to (a) the EU, (b) the US, (c) China and (d) India in (i) 2000 and (ii) the most recent year available.

Mr Hugo Swire: With reference to the latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) economic accounts released on the 30 June 2015, the value of UK exports (goods and services) to the EU, US, China and India in 2000 and 2014, the latest year available, was as follows:Exports of goods and services £billionEUUSAChinaIndiaTotal2000146.548.81.92.7269.32014226.387.818.26.8507.2Growth (2000-14)54%80%836%156%88%The next ONS update is expected on the 30 September.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of whether Saudi Arabia is adhering to the laws of war in the context of its military action in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We support the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen following the request of the legitimate President Hadi’s request for support by ‘all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression’. We have received explicit assurances from the Saudi Arabian authorities that they are complying with International Humanitarian Law. We have not seen any credible evidence that suggests that the coalition has breached the law. We continue to engage with the Saudi Arabian authorities on their assurances and urge all parties to the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for his Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 8 July 2015, this government became the first government to announce the introduction of a compulsory Living Wage. From April 2016, all employers will be required to comply with the new national Living Wage of £7.20/ph for those 25 and above, as set out in the Budget.All direct employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are paid at a level of at least that recommended by the Living Wage campaign.The FCO will be reviewing, with its contractors, the salary arrangements for staff providing contracted services to the Department ahead of the introduction of the compulsory Living Wage.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to assist faith and community-led reconciliation efforts in South Sudan.

Grant Shapps: The UK supports faith and community-led reconciliation efforts through funding to the South Sudan Peace and Reconciliation Commission (SSPRC) to enable mitigation of potential local conflicts; support to the Catholic Relief Services in coordinating conflict prevention; support to a cross-border conflict mitigation programme on the Sudanese border; and support of a nation-wide survey on how communities resolve local disputes through the Community Security and Arms Control Programme (CSAC). On 28 May 2015 officials at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office used a social media channel to express support for a statement of the South Sudanese Council of Churches that condemned the recent Human Rights violations and emphasised the need to bring an immediate end to the conflict.

Iran: Sanctions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise at the UN the potential effect of the recent agreement with Iran on nuclear weapons on the lifting of economic sanctions on that country on support for Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Iran's support to militant groups across the Middle East, including Hezbollah and Hamas, is a source of concern. The Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action does not address this issue as the E3+3 negotiations with Iran focused on the nuclear issue. But the prohibition on export of arms to and from Iran will continue and we will continue to respond - with our partners - to Iranian interference in the region. We call upon Iran to play a more constructive role in the region.

Iraq: Islamic State

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the killing of Christians by Islamic State in the city of Quaragosh, Iraq.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I am deeply concerned for the safety of Christians in parts of Iraq controlled by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL captured Qaraqosh in August 2014. Since then there have been reports of barbaric treatment of Christians in Qaraqosh and of ISIL committing atrocities against Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen and other communities throughout the areas under their control. We condemn all such atrocities and violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. The UK Government has been working closely with our international partners on countering the threat of ISIL. We have been at the forefront of efforts at the UN and the EU and we are playing a key role in the Global Coalition to counter ISIL. We are taking military and political action, as well as discrediting ISIL’s poisonous ideology, cutting off its finances, tackling foreign fighters and by providing nearly £60 million of aid to Iraqis displaced by the fighting.

Iraq: Islamic State

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on reports that Islamic State has taken over the city of Quaragosh in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have been deeply concerned about developments in Qaraqosh, since its capture by ISIL in August 2014. We frequently talk to our international partners about the threat from ISIL, including in June when the Foreign Secretary and I attended the Small Group meeting of the Global Coalition against ISIL in Paris. I had extensive discussions about ISIL and the territory it holds with all my interlocutors during my trip to Baghdad at the end of June.The threat of ISIL remains a top priority for both the Foreign Secretary and myself.

Islamic State: Christianity

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect Christians from persecution by Islamic State.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are working closely with our international partners, including the UN and EU, to try to assist and protect civilians, including Christians and other minority groups, from ISIL. We are also in contact with senior political and religious leaders, including Canon Andrew White when he was in Baghdad, who played a key role in forming the High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq and works closely with the Foundation for Relief & Reconciliation in the Middle East.Ultimately the only way to stop the suffering caused by ISIL, as well as countering the real and significant threat to the UK and our allies, is by defeating ISIL and establishing peace and stability in the region. We are working closely with our Coalition allies to achieve this.

Boko Haram

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support African countries in counter-terrorism efforts against Boko Haram.

Grant Shapps: The UK, in close coordination with the US and France, continues to support Nigeria and its neighbours in their fight against Boko Haram. The UK is providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support to Nigeria. We have also contributed £5 million to support efforts to establish a Multinational Joint Taskforce against Boko Haram. We are looking to expand our support to Nigeria even further. The Prime Minister has met President Buhari twice, including during the G7 Summit, to discuss how we could best help Nigeria win the fight against Boko Haram, including increasing UK Military Assistance to the region. The National Security Council has agreed that Nigeria will be a Foreign Policy priority and we have established a new cross Government unit dedicated to that task.

Diplomatic Relations

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received from meetings between Ministers in the (a) Scottish Government, (b) Welsh Government and (c) Northern Ireland Executive and representatives of overseas governments in the last 12 months.

Mr David Lidington: Ministers from the Devolved Administrations have made numerous overseas visits supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) over the last twelve months. Sometimes Devolved Administration Ministers write to record their impressions from the visit and to thank the FCO; sometimes officials who have attended the meetings circulate reports to relevant addressees including the FCO.

Guatemala: Human Rights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the implementation of the 2013 ruling by the Department of Zacapa Court in Guatemala, which found violations of the right to adequate food in relation to five children in the Chiquimula region.

Mr Hugo Swire: Officials at our Embassy in Guatemala City have been in contact with the Guatemalan Ministry of Food Security and Nutrition about the ruling by the Special Children’s Court in Zacapa and the tragic death of five children from malnutrition. They have been informed that the Guatemalan government has complied with the court ruling by providing support to the families affected, in the form of food supplies and cooking equipment, and is continuing to assess what other assistance might be needed. We remain concerned by reports of malnutrition among vulnerable children in Guatemala and we are working with other members of the international community and the private sector to support the Guatemalan government in its efforts to tackle this problem.

West Africa: Piracy

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of piracy in the seas off West Africa; and what contribution the UK is making to international efforts to tackle such piracy.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In 2014 there were 67 pirate attacks reported in the Gulf of Guinea and 170 seafarers held hostage. The International Maritime Bureau estimates, however, that up to 60% of attacks go unreported. There are variations each year, but the situation has remained broadly constant for the last 5 years.The UK engages multilaterally and bilaterally to assist west and central African states develop their maritime strategies and improve their ability to secure their territorial waters, including through implementation of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct regional cooperation agreement. The UK supports the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Maritime Organisation’s shore based legal and governance reform, and the Royal Navy has provided assistance to develop states’ seagoing capacity.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role the Government plans that the (a) NNL, (b) UK nuclear supply chain and (c) UK nuclear regulators will play in implementing the cessation of Iran's nuclear programme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July. The agreement places restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme and grants the International Atomic Energy Agency access to verify adherence to those restrictions. The UK, as a member of the Joint Commission, will receive reports on Iran’s implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and actions in relation to its nuclear programme.

Iran: Uranium

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role he plans for the UK to have in securing uranium and uranium fuel in Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July includes a limit on Iran’s stockpile of low enriched uranium, which will be monitored under IAEA safeguards. Iran’s excess low enriched uranium will be down blended to natural uranium or shipped out of Iran to Russia in exchange for natural uranium; the details will be for Iran and Russia to agree. This process will be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Burma: Defence

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Burmese counterpart on that country's increased spending on its military.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and (b) constituent parts of the UK nuclear supply chain about nuclear sector opportunities in Iran as a result of the Iran nuclear deal.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July includes provision for Iran to take part in international cooperation related to civilian nuclear energy. Civil nuclear cooperation projects may include bilateral or multilateral arrangements with Iran and the details of projects will be determined in due course by the participating states. The UK has no specific plans at present for civil nuclear cooperation with Iran.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to provide (a) commercial assistance, (b) nuclear fuel storage, disposal and reprocessing services and (c) research to the Iranian government to help it meet its IAEA treaty commitments.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is committed to supporting the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreed between the E3+3 and Iran on 14 July. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action includes provision for Iran to take part in international cooperation related to civilian nuclear energy which may include supply of power and research reactors; nuclear science and technology; fusion technology; accelerator based nuclear technology and astrophysics research; nuclear medicine and radioisotopes; waste management and facility decommissioning; nuclear desalination and nuclear safety and security. The UK has no specific plans at present for civil nuclear cooperation with Iran.

British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide financial support for the launch of a new round of the Darwin Plus Initiative for the UK Overseas Territories.

Grant Shapps: The FCO will provide financial support for the next round of the Darwin Plus Initiative for the UK Overseas Territories. We are working with Defra and DFID to enable the fourth round to be announced shortly.

EU Reform

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of his Department's staff are working on the European renegotiation strategy.

Mr David Lidington: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), is leading the renegotiation, but the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) and I play an important role. Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are staffing this appropriately.Since he took office in 2014, the Foreign Secretary has visited nearly all EU capitals and held meetings with MEPs, Commissioners, Foreign Ministers and a wide range of opinion formers across the EU.

Common Fisheries Policy

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed the future of the Common Fisheries Policy as part of the negotiations on the terms of the UK's membership of the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has set out the four areas where we seek to address the concerns of the British public: sovereignty, fairness, competitiveness and immigration. The Government has welcomed reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, as an example of power being passed back to Member States where it can more effectively be exercised.

UK Membership of EU: Exports

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the planned EU referendum on the level of UK exports to the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The Government will not speculate on post referendum scenarios. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), I and the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) are focused on success: we believe we can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.

Department for International Development

Burma: Rohingya

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's policy is on using the word Rohingya when discussing the Rohingya with the government of Burma.

Mr Desmond Swayne: While the Department for International Development has no formal policy on this point, we believe in the right of minorities to choose the name by which they are identified. I and other UK Ministers are on record using the word Rohingya, and we continue to use the word in communications with the government of Burma.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has held with the UN Secretary General on his role in negotiating humanitarian access in Rakhine state, Burma.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Secretary of State for International Development has not held discussions with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on his role in negotiating humanitarian access in Rakhine State, Burma. We welcome the firm personal stand the UN Secretary General has already taken on the Rohingya and continue to encourage a wider UN leadership role to help bring peace and reconciliation to all communities in Rakhine State.

Burma: Internally Displaced People

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department is providing for internally displaced people in Shan and Kachin states, Burma.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Between 2012 and 2015 DFID has allocated over £17 million for humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Kachin and Northern Shan States, including in non-government controlled areas.

Overseas Aid

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to paragraph 1.82 of the Summer Budget 2015, whether any of the £1.5 billion a year funding for military and intelligence spending will contribute to meeting the target of 0.7 per cent of GNI on Overseas Development Assistance.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to paragraph 1.82 of the Summer Budget 2015, whether any of the £1.5 billion a year of new funding for military and intelligence spending by the end of the current Parliament will be administered by her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The profile and allocation of funding has not been announced and will be agreed as part of the Spending Review and Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Department for International Development: Expenditure

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's budget was spent on (a) equipment and goods and (b) consultancy from UK companies in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In line with the UK Government commitments to increase transparency, DFID publishes details of types of contract award and spend transactions over £500 on a monthly basis. This includes expenditure at supplier level and the amount for project and Consultancy services. This information can be accessed for spend on the .Gov portal and for contracts on the Contracts finder website.  British taxpayers expect all ODA to be high quality and well-targeted, and since 2010, value for money and transparency of UK official development assistance (ODA) has been a top priority for DFID. In the last 5 years, DFID has worked hard to make its systems and processes more rigorous to make sure that aid projects reach intended beneficiaries and deliver results, including introducing greater ministerial oversight and new spending controls. Business cases and delivery plans are used for all DFID projects setting out the rationale for the projects and how they will be implemented. Formal project reviews are required annually and at completion against a performance monitoring framework. These reviews assess and record that funds have been used for their intended purposes and what results have been delivered. DFID has also reduced the number of bilateral country programmes since 2010. Finally, DFID has introduced greater transparency and scrutiny of DFID’s work through setting up the aid watchdog, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which scrutinises everything DFID does, alongside the work of the International Development Select Committee.

Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department will receive in funding from the Joint Security Fund in each year up to 2020.

Mr Desmond Swayne: UK Government funding decisions will be made through the Spending Review process.

Nepal: Nature Conservation

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to help prevent the extinction by poaching of (a) the Bengal tiger and (b) rhino herds in Nepal.

Justine Greening: In February 2014, DFID supported the UK-hosted London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT), hosted by the Foreign Secretary and attended by heads of state and ministers from countries around the world affected by this issue. Parties committed to making progress on tackling demand from species threatened with extinction, including the rhino and tiger. In addition, the World Wildlife Fund receives £3 million per annum from a Programme Partnership Arrangement with DFID which supports broader conversation and the safeguarding of ecosystems.

Nepal: Infrastructure

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help long-term improvements to the (a) water supply and (b) road network in Nepal after the recent earthquake.

Justine Greening: The British Government’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal now stands at £70 million, making the UK one of the largest bilateral donors to Nepal. UK support has delivered important results including: 5,600,000 people benefitting from the restoration of healthcare services in their area; 200,000 benefitting from shelter support; and 80,000 people receiving cash transfers. 35,000 people have benefitted from improved facilities as part of the emergency response. The UK also supports with the Gurkha Welfare Scheme in Nepal, which works with communities and local government to develop sustainable community-managed water systems. DFID also directly supports major water projects through UNICEF, which aim to provide long-term and sustainable water access in Nepal. I have just approved a major additional investment to a rural access programme, which takes the UK’s investment in roads in Nepal to over £70m, to include benefits in earthquake affected areas. This expansion will provide support to maintain an additional 2,400km of roads, which will provide 7.5 million person-days of employment and link 800,000 people to the road network.

Pakistan: Education

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK Aid resources in Pakistan are not used to purchase educational material for use in classrooms which promote religious intolerance.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID’s education programmes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum which teaches religious tolerance and respect for diversity. Independent evaluations in 2007 and 2013 confirmed this curriculum to be based on values of democracy, pluralism and peace aimed at developing critical thinking students.

British Overseas Territories: Environment Protection

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department will provide financial support for the launch of a new round of the Darwin Plus Initiative for the UK Overseas Territories.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Darwin Plus has successfully helped to protect the environments and natural assets of our Overseas Territories. DFID officials are working with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), who manage the initiative, in support of its bid to HM Treasury for necessary overseas development assistance (ODA) for a second round of funding.

Department for International Development: Audit

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent independent audit there has been of the effectiveness of her Department's disbursement of services.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The National Audit Office, the principal state audit body in the United Kingdom, provides independent external audit of DFID’s spending, including carrying out value for money and other effectiveness reviews. DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts are also subject to audit by the National Audit Office. The Comptroller and Auditor General signed DFID’s 2014–15 Annual Report and Accounts on 9 July 2015 and issued an unqualified audit opinion. Rigorous independent scrutiny of the effectiveness of DFID’s work is also provided by the Independent Commission on Aid Impact which reports to the International Development Select Committee in Parliament.  DFID’s internal audit department provides assurance over governance, risk management and control systems through a programme of audits which cover DFID processes, departments and projects. In 2014-15 the Secretary of State significantly scaled up internal audit and counter fraud resources to strengthen internal capacity and skills, increase the depth and breadth of assurance coverage, and ensure that all DFID country offices are audited at least every other year. At a programme level, all organisations which receive funding from DFID are required to provide evidence about the use of funds, including providing independently audited financial statements to our programme managers.

Department for Education

Adoption

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how funding for adoption services will be distributed to local authorities once joint arrangements have been made for carrying out local authority adoption functions.

Edward Timpson: Funding for children’s services – including funding to support adoption functions – is paid through the Early Intervention Grant (EIG), which is discernible within the Business Rates Retention Scheme. With this funding, local authorities are expected to respond to their core duties. The EIG is non ring fenced, in order to give local commissioners the freedom and flexibility to respond to locally determined demand. Local authorities have a duty to provide adoption services, so are therefore expected to pay for adoption services through their EIG, including when delivering their adoption functions through a regional adoption agency.   The government will work with local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies to deliver regional adoption agencies. This year, we are providing up to £4.5million of start-up funding to support early adopters to accelerate the development of the new arrangements. In addition, we are also providing £30m which can be used by local authorities over the next twelve months to cover the fees incurred when children are placed with an adopter recruited by another local authority or voluntary adoption agency. This will remove a financial barrier and make it easier for children waiting for adoption to be matched with approved adopters, wherever in the country they may be. We would expect regional adoption agencies to lead to financial savings to local authorities over time. Savings could be made through: economies of scale; reducing the length of time children spend in care waiting for adoption; and reducing the number of children who are not adopted because parents could not be found for them.

Mental Health: Curriculum

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will incorporate education on mental health issues into the national curriculum.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Emotional wellbeing, resilience and good mental health are a priority for the Department. As the Secretary of State said in an interview with the Times on 4 July 2015, there are lots of new pressures on young people growing up. We want children to do well academically and attainment is supported if they have good mental health character and resilience. They are two sides of the same coin.   The National Curriculum framework is clear that all schools should teach Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education – a non-statutory national curriculum subject which supports and extends other subjects in the school curriculum, such as Citizenship and Information Technology. This helps pupils to develop self-esteem, resilience, confidence and their ability to learn, as well as dealing with specific issues such as online and cyberbullying.   In order to support teachers to improve teaching about mental health in PSHE, we have funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and detailed lesson plans for Key Stages 1-4 which are available online here at: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?ID=1435   While teachers are well placed to spot where students have a problem, they are not mental health professionals. It is important that students can get swift access to specialist mental health support where needed. An additional £1.25bn is available for mental health services for children, young people and new mothers over the next 5 years, to ensure timely access to appropriate specialist support is available.

Children's Centres

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to maintain the current provision of children's centre services.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education will be launching an open consultation in the autumn about children’s centre services. This will be a consultation that will offer parents, carers, local authorities and key stakeholders the opportunity to influence and drive what we expect from children’s centre services and where we see them collectively having the greatest impact. This consultation will not just be about the children’s centre buildings but focus on what they provide as part of the integrated services for children and families locally, what outcomes they should achieve and what accountability framework is needed to best demonstrate impact.   Local authorities have duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet local need and to ensure they consult before any significant changes are made. They are best placed to determine the delivery models and service offering in relation to children’s centres that best meet the needs of their local community.

Autism

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that parents of children and young people with autism receive appropriate support, guidance and information.

Edward Timpson: The comprehensive reforms to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) system under the Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a range of measures to improve outcomes and support for children and young people with SEN or a disability (SEND) and to ensure their parents are well supported and informed.   Many aspects of the reforms are of particular benefit to the parents of children and young people with autism. In particular, the move to Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans requires local authorities and other agencies to ensure that parents are fully involved at all stages of the process, with opportunities to voice their opinions and concerns. The reforms also introduced Independent Supporters to guide parents through the EHC process.   In addition, schools are required by the 0-25 SEND code of practice to inform parents when they are making special educational provision for a child, to keep them informed of progress and to involve them in planning support for their child. The reforms also make provision to ensure that parents, children and young people are able to access impartial information, advice and support. This is available through a local, dedicated and easily identifiable service which includes help to prepare them for meetings with schools, health professionals or other agencies. Parent carer forums are also a valuable source of information and support for parents of all children with special educational needs, including those whose children have autism.   The department recognises that children and young people with autism can be particularly vulnerable to exclusion from school and that parents may need extra support. In 2015-16 the department is funding a project by the National Autistic Society to provide parents and young people with access to advice and information about exclusions, alternative provision and disability discrimination.   The department also provided £1.5 million during 2013-15 to the Autism EducationTrust. This is an organisation which provides training to early years providers, schools and FE colleges to help deliver an effective education for all children and young people who are autistic. The Department is providing a further £650,000 2015-16 to extend the training and to revise its national autism standards and competency framework for education staff. Since March 2012 over 66,000 education staff have received training.

Children in Care: Mental Health

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will implement the recommendations of the report published by the NSPCC in June 2015 entitled Achieving emotional wellbeing for looked after children, on the mental health needs of children in care.

Edward Timpson: In March my Department and the Department of Health published joint statutory guidance on promoting the health and well-being of looked-after children. This emphasises the importance of emotional well-being and mental as well as physical health. Support to vulnerable groups, including looked-after children, was also a focus of the work leading up to the publication of Future in Mind.   This report makes a valuable contribution to the development of policy and practice around how to improve the emotional wellbeing and mental health of looked-after children and care leavers. Promoting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of looked-after children is a key priority for this government. We look forward to discussing with the NSPCC and others the findings it presents and what more can be done to improve emotional and mental health outcomes for this vulnerable group.

Arts: GCE A-level

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people sat A level media studies in each of the last three years in (a) Bury, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) England.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is given in the table below. It is published in the ‘A level and other level 3 equivalents’ statistical first release for the relevant year.[1] [2] [3]   Year[4]Number of students aged 16 to 18[5] in state funded schools[6] entered for A level media studiesBury local authorityGreater Manchester[7]England2011/121511,16122,9542012/131391,09420,8002013/141641,06519,666Source: Key stage 5 attainment data. [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-level-3-results-2013-to-2014-revised[2] www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-level-and-other-level-3-results-england-2012-to-2013-revised[3] www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-a-level-and-equivalent-examination-results-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012[4] Data for all years is revised.[5] Age in years at the start of the academic year in question.[6] Includes; academies; free schools; city technology colleges; community and foundation special schools; hospital schools and further education sector colleges.[7] Includes the local authorities of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

Children's Centres: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the Government allocated for expenditure on children's centres in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2015-16.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In 2009-10, the Department allocated £1,023,142,032 of revenue funding for Children’s Centres within the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (SSEYCG).  For 2015-16 local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Business Rates Retention Scheme. The overall pot for early intervention as part of the Business Rate Retention Scheme grew to around £2.4 billion in 2014-15 from £2.3 billion in 2012-13.This provides sufficient funding to maintain a network of children’s centres. Other government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres.

GCSE

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in how many secondary schools fewer than 60 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics in the most recent three years for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be derived from published key stage 4 school performance tables data for 2012[1], 2013[2] and 2014[3].  [1] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html[2] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2013/download_data.html[3] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

National Curriculum Tests

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in how many primary schools fewer than 85 per cent of pupils achieved expected standards in national curriculum tests in the most recent three years for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be derived from published key stage 2 school performance tables data for 2012[1], 2013[2] and 2014[3]. [1] File labelled KS2 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html[2] File labelled KS2 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2013/download_data.html[3] File labelled KS2 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

GCSE

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals and were (i) white British and (ii) not white British achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: Information is not held in the requested format.  The Department for Education does publish information separately at local authority level on the number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and the breakdown by major ethnicities in the ‘GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics:2014’.[1] Data for earlier years is also available from this publication. [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014

Children in Care

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who left care in the most recent year for which figures are available had more than (a) three, (b) five, (c) 10, (d) 20, (e) 30, (f) 40 and (g) 50 placements while they were in care.

Edward Timpson: Information on the numbers of placements in the care history of children ceasing to be looked after in the year ending 31 March 2014 is published in Table D5 of the ‘Children looked after, including adoption’ statistical first release. This table sets out the total number of children who had between one and nine, or ten or more placements in their care history[1].  [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption--2

Free School Meals: Copeland

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in Year 3 or above in Copeland constituency were eligible for free school meals in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The department does not hold this information in the format requested.The department does publish information at regional and local authority level on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in the “Statistics: schools and pupil numbers” series[1] for 2010 to 2015 inclusive, though this is not broken down by year group or available at constituency level. National level figures on the number of children in each national curriculum year group are also contained within this series. Equivalent data for earlier years are available via the National Archives[2]. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers[2] http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151655/http:/www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics

Education: Standards

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential correlation between the quality of personal, social, health and economic education provision at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools and the Ofsted results at those schools; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: We believe that all young people should leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. High quality PSHE teaching has a vital role to play in this, helping young people understand the world around them, building resilience and helping them to make informed choices and stay safe.   In March 2015, we published a review of current impact and effective practice that shows that PSHE can improve a range of outcomes including the physical and psychosocial well-being of pupils, and improved classroom and playground behaviour. Good PSHE provision can lead to school-wide improvements.   We are committed to improving the quality of PSHE in all schools, and will work with the sector to achieve this.

Free School Meals: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school pupils were eligible for free school meals in each London borough in June (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014; and in the most recent months in 2015 for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on the number of pupils eligible for and claiming free schools meals in each local authority in London for January 2010 to 2015 is published in the “Statistics: schools and pupil numbers” series[1]. This is based on the January School census.A collated version of this information has been provided in the attached Excel spreadsheet. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers 



Pupils eligble for FSM in London 2010-15
(Excel SpreadSheet, 29.9 KB)

Sure Start Programme

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list the locations of the Sure Start centres that have closed since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Since 2010, 250 main children’s centres have closed as at 30 June 2015 following local authority consultation on the needs of local families. The locations of the closed centres are given in the spreadsheet attached.   There is a strong network of children’s centres. 2,677 main children’s centres remain open, along with 705 additional sites. The most recent data shows that a record number of families are using children’s centres and that centres are successfully reaching out to 90% of eligible families registered. 



Closed Surestart Centres 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.16 KB)

Education: Finance

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to (a) Northamptonshire and (b) the education authority with the highest spend per pupil in 2015-16; and what the national average is for such funding for each education authority.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on the schools block unit of funding (SBUF) for all local authorities and regions for financial year 2015 to 2016 can be found at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016 The average spend per pupil in England in financial year 2015 to 2016 is £4,612. The SBUF does not cover funding for early years or high needs pupils.

Pupils: South Yorkshire

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was received per pupil in (a) Barnsley East constituency, (b) Barnsley and (c) South Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Average per pupil revenue funding figures for Barnsley local authority and Yorkshire and the Humber region are given below. Figures for financial years 2011 to 2013 are shown below. These are in cash terms: Average revenue per pupil funding (cash)2011-122012-13Barnsley LA 4,8804,880Yorkshire and the Humber region4,9704,970   Per pupil figures are using Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations and pupils aged 3-15 rounded to the nearest £10.   Changes to the DSG funding in financial year 2013 to 2014 with funding allocated through three blocks; schools, early years and high needs, means there is no longer a comparable overall figure with previous years. The table below shows the DSG schools block unit funding figures in cash terms for Barnsley LA and Yorkshire and the Humber region. DSG schools block per pupil funding2013-20142014-20152015-2016Barnsley LA4,4594,4594,460Yorkshire and the Humber region4,5344,5364,552

Languages: Qualifications

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2015 to Question 842, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) the availability at GCSE and A-level of (i) Turkish, (ii) Greek, (iii) Gujarati, (iv) Modern Hebrew, (v) Punjabi, (vi) Polish, (vii) Bengali and (viii) other community languages and (b) effective liaison between awarding organisations and Ofqual on the provision of GCSEs and A-levels in those languages.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education is in discussion with awarding organisations and Ofqual to consider how best to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level, including those languages listed in the question. We are committed to securing the future of community language qualifications. I will make a further announcement in due course, explaining our proposed approach.

Children: Reading

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the disparity in reading ability between different socio-economic groups at age four in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government is committed to improving education to make sure that children from all backgrounds have the skills necessary to succeed in life. The early years curriculum sets out the key areas that early years providers must follow. This includes a focus on literacy, communication and language. We have introduced Early Years Teachers who are expected to meet the same entry and qualification requirements as teachers of older children. We have also introduced a robust set of standards for Early Years Educator (EYE) qualifications (A Level standard) and, from September 2014, EYEs operating in the workforce at level 3 are required to hold GSCE English and maths at grade C or above.   The information requested is not available. The department does not collect data on the socio economic background of parents of 4-year-olds. However, reception teachers must complete the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) in the final term of the year in which the child reaches age five. Teachers must assess whether children are at the expected level, above it, or below it in relation to each of 17 early learning goals. They must also complete a short assessment of each child’s skills and abilities against three characteristics of effective learning. The EYFSP results are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2013-to-2014

Children: Day Care

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the proportion of two year old children receiving their full entitlement of free childcare (a) nationally, (b) in each region, (c) in each socio economic group and (d) in each ethnic group.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The early learning for two-year-olds programme was introduced in September 2013 for the benefit of 20% of the most disadvantaged children in England. In September 2014 the programme was expanded to 40% of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds in England. The taking up of a place is voluntary and parents can choose to use it as much or as little as they wish.   Local authorities reported that, at June 2015, the percentages of eligible 2-year-old children benefitting from funded early education places by region were as set out below:   Government AreaRegional take up figureRegional take up percentageEast1584864.7%East Midlands1303258.4%London2432050.8%North East1053674.4%North West2821569.2%South East2040563.9%South West1448269.7%West Midlands1964258.5%Yorkshire and the Humber2037966.3%Total and national take up166,85962.6%   The Department does not record information about the number of children taking up their entitlement by socio-economic group or ethnic group.

Children's Commissioner for England

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the budget of the Office of the Children's Commissioner was spent on administration in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: The matter of the Office for the Children’s Commissioner’s budget, and the proportion of it spent on administration in each of the last five years, is for the Office for the Children’s Commissioner, which is independent.   I have asked the Office for the Children’s Commissioner to write to you in response to this question and to place a copy of the letter in the House of Commons Library.

Pre-school Education

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of early years educators qualified to level 3 were working with children aged (a) two, (b) three and (c) four in each of the last five years.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of early years educators qualified to Level 6 were working with children aged (a) two, (b) three and (c) four in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education does not hold the data you have requested. However, the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2013 includes data on the proportion of staff qualified to level 3 and level 6 in childcare settings. The survey can be found online here at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2013   The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework requires the manager of group nursery settings to be qualified to at least level 3.

Education: Assessments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools opted not to do the Baseline Assessment tests in September and October 2015.

Nick Gibb: Schools are still able to sign up to their preferred choice from the list of three approved reception baselines. There is not yet a finalised list of schools that have not signed up to any of the providers.   As of 30 April 2015, 2,859 schools had not signed up to any reception baseline.

St Ives First School

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to make a decision on whether St Ives First School is to be permitted to increase its age range from September 2015.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State’s decision, in response to Dorset County Council’s request for intervention following St Ives First School’s decision to extend its age range, was communicated to Dorset County Council by letter and email on 16 July 2015.

Students: Identification

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on the use of unique student identifier numbers.

Edward Timpson: The primary student identifier used within the schools sector is the unique pupil number (UPN). The unique learner number (ULN) is used more widely across the education sector as a consistent identifier for all students aged 14 and above in any form of publicly funded education and training. Further information on each is provided below.   The unique pupil number (UPN) identifies each pupil attending a maintained school in England. Allocated on first entry to a school/academy, the UPN is generated using a nationally specified formula and is expected to remain with a pupil throughout their school career regardless of any change in school/academy or local authority. To comply with data protection legislation a number of measures have been placed on the use of UPNs to minimise any potential risks to the personal privacy of individuals and to ensure UPNs are used for educational purposes only. The Department publishes advice to schools and local authorities on the use of UPNs in “UPNs: a guide for schools and local authorities”[1].   A unique learner number (ULN)[2] is assigned to all students aged 14 or over in publicly funded education and training. The ULN system is maintained by the Learning Records Service (LRS) within the Skills Funding Agency (SFA).   The 10 digit ULN has been designed to ensure that no additional meaning can be inferred from its structure e.g. geographical location or level of learning. Its purpose is purely to provide a unique identifier for each individual's Personal Learning Record (PLR). The PLR allows individual learners access to their past and current achievement records and this can be shared with schools, colleges, further education training providers, universities or employers when making an application to further their education, training and employment.   Unlike the UPN, the ULN is an open number and would be available to students on any awards certificates or results slips.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unique-pupil-numbers[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lrs-unique-learner-numbers

Sixth Form Colleges: VAT

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the refund of VAT costs to sixth form colleges.

Nick Boles: All funding decisions, including the question of the VAT costs currently paid by sixth form colleges, will be considered in the round at the Spending Review.

Education: Young People

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her plans are for future funding of education and training for 16 to 19 year olds.

Nick Boles: Decisions about how 16-19 institutions will be funded in the academic year 2016/17 and beyond will be subject to the outcome of the next spending review, which will set the budget for education and other public spending for the coming years.

Vocational Education

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of technical education.

Nick Boles: We will put in place clear professional and technical routes to employment, building on the work of the last parliament to ensure only high quality qualifications are approved for performance tables. For post-16 students we have introduced Tech Levels and Technical Certificates, all of which are backed by employers, trade or professional bodies and cover most practical careers. Employers will be involved in the delivery or assessment of all technical qualifications from September 2017.

Leader of the House

English Votes for English Laws

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Leader of the House, what assessment he has made of the comparability of the method of selection of members to the legislative Grand Committee as set out in the proposed Standing Orders on English votes on English laws with selection processes for bodies performing the same functions in the devolved administrations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government's proposals relate to the procedures of the House of Commons and are designed to be compatible with these. There is no selection process required for Legislative Grand Committees. All Members who represent constituencies in the relevant nations would be able to serve on the Legislative Grand Committees, whose role it would be to give consent to certified bills or provisions after Report Stage.

English Votes for English Laws: Wales

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Leader of the House, whether he plans to consult the public in Wales on his proposals for English votes on English laws.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The proposals have been published and it is open to all with an interest to consider the proposals and express views on them before they are put to the House of Commons for a decision. I have met colleagues who represent constituencies in Wales and I am happy to have further such conversations.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation: Crime

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to produce an action plan on wildlife crime in the UK modelled on the plan recently announced at EU level.

Rory Stewart: The Coalition Government published The UK Commitment to Action on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in February 2014 and reported on progress against these commitments in March 2015. In March, the UK also reported on its progress against the London Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade and agreed new urgent measures to tackle the trade at the Kasane Conference in Botswana. This Government remains committed to working with our international partners to tackle wildlife crime, both at home and overseas, and will work closely with the Commission as it develops its action plan on illegal wildlife trade.   In the UK, the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) helps in tackling wildlife crime by analysing and disseminating intelligence and assisting law enforcement agencies directly in carrying out wildlife crime investigations. The Government is part-funding the NWCU until March 2016.   Where wildlife crime is sufficiently serious, the specialist capabilities of the National Crime Agency can be accessed. Border Force also plays a leading role, delivering risk-based anti-smuggling controls at the border.   The Government also helps tackle wildlife crime through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW), a multi-agency body comprising representatives of the Government and voluntary bodies with an interest in combating wildlife crime.

Avian Influenza

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take with devolved administrations to ensure there are no further outbreaks of avian flu in the UK.

George Eustice: Defra is working in partnership with devolved administrations, operational partners and stakeholders to control this case and to prevent a further spread of the disease.   Immediate and robust action was taken as soon as suspicions of disease emerged and tried and tested procedures for dealing with avian flu incidents are being followed.   Control measures including a 10km restriction zone were introduced. All the birds at the affected farm have been culled to prevent any potential spread of the disease.   Detailed investigations to discover the origin of the disease are ongoing.

Antibiotics: Livestock

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2015 from the Minister of State in her Department, Official Report, column 446, on farm animals: disease, what her policy is on routine preventative antibiotic administration through mass medication where there are no clinical signs of disease in any of the animals in the group being treated.

George Eustice: It has been made very clear that we do not support the routine preventative use of antibiotics, or the use of antibiotics to compensate for poor animal husbandry. This was reiterated in the responsible use of animal medicines on farm, published in December 2014.   On occasions when a contagious disease is found present within a group of animals, a veterinary surgeon may decide it necessary to treat all animals in the group, including ones not currently showing symptoms, but which are considered likely to be sub-clinically infected.   Such prescribing decisions should be made on a case by case basis, on the clinical judgement of a veterinary surgeon following consideration of all factors involved, to maintain animal health and welfare.

Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to launch a new round of the Darwin Plus Initiative for the UK Overseas Territories.

Rory Stewart: The Darwin Plus Initiative for the UK Overseas Territories is co-funded by Defra, DFID and FCO. We hope to be able to announce the launch of another round in the near future.

National Parks

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the decision on the extension of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Lake District National Park will be announced; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: A public inquiry into Natural England’s proposals to extend the boundaries of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks was held in June 2013. The inspector’s report has been submitted to Defra and is now being considered. The Secretary of State will issue her decisions in due course.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Wind Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has conducted an impact assessment for the removal of onshore wind from the Renewables Obligation.

Andrea Leadsom: As is normal for all Bills presented to Parliament, the Government will publish an impact assessment on its proposals to close the Renewables Obligation to new onshore wind one year earlier than planned in due course.

Climate Change: Health

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the implications are for her Department's policies of the findings of the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change, published on 23 June 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: Climate change is one of the greatest threats the world faces, and that is why reaching a successful outcome in Paris is a priority for this Government. A global deal is the only way we can deliver the scale of action required.We remain committed to meeting our climate change target of an 80% emissions reduction by 2050, which is based on advice from the Committee on Climate Change on the UK’s contribution to an international effort to limit global warming to 2 degrees.The Government is maintaining the momentum with a commitment to cost-effective energy efficient homes and clean energy, with unabated coal set to provide only one per cent of the UK’s electricity generation by 2025.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the timetable is for the UK to respond to the application made by the Austrian government to the European Court of Justice against the decision by the European Commission to grant state aid status for the Hinkley Point C project.

Andrea Leadsom: The Austrian challenge is against the European Commission’s state aid approval decision for Hinkley Point C. The timetable for the case will be in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice of the European Union which are published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Nuclear Power Stations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many Generation III reactors of the type currently in development in the UK are currently operating worldwide; and what assessment she has made of the economic and operational effectiveness of those reactors.

Andrea Leadsom: The reactor types being proposed for UK build by electricity suppliers are all evolutions of similar, tried and tested light water reactor systems, namely the Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) and Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). Examples of these have been in operation for many years and there are around 356 currently operating worldwide. The UK has a robust regulatory system and any nuclear reactor used in the UK must meet our rigorous safety, security and environmental standards. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is responsible for safety regulation of the UK industry.Independent estimates for DECC suggest that a First of a Kind (FOAK) new nuclear plant is expected to have a levelised cost of between £79-102/MWh with a central estimate of £89/MWh. As nuclear reaches Nth of a Kind (NOAK) status levelised costs are projected to fall to between £67-89/MWh with a central estimate of £77/MWh, making it a cost effective large scale low carbon technology.­1 21 DECC (2013), Electricity Generation Costs. Quoted costs are using technology specific discount rates.2 The levelised cost is a standardised measure of the net present value of lifetime costs divided by generation for a generic plant under each technology. Given the uncertainties involved, DECC levelised cost estimates are not intended to provide any indication of potential future strike prices for a particular technology or plant under the Feed-in Tariff with Contracts for Difference (CfD) being introduced as part of Electricity Market Reform. Strike prices will vary according to the length and design of the FiT CfD contract, technology, financing costs and in a few limited cases specific project characteristics. To the extent that project specific cost discovery processes are undertaken these will form the starting point of any process of setting a strike price, rather than relying on levelised cost data.

Renewable Energy: Subsidies

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her policy to direct green subsidies for renewable energy into research and development into low carbon energy.

Andrea Leadsom: We are developing our future Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) plans for low carbon energy technologies as part of the current Spending Review process.

Attorney General

Offenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what procedures are in place to ensure that prosecutors make courts aware of overseas criminal convictions of (a) foreign and (b) British criminals for the purposes of bail and sentencing.

Robert Buckland: Prosecutors are required to make the courts aware of all convictions, including overseas convictions, in bail and sentencing hearings. This duty is prescribed by statute and by Criminal Practice Direction and is set out in comprehensive Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) legal guidance which is available on the CPS website.Previous convictions of EU nationals are now more easily accessible because of the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), which was set up in 2012.

Domestic Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, in what proportion of cases in a domestic setting the Crown Prosecutor requests (a) a witness summons or (b) special measures; and what proportion of such applications are granted.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number or proportion of cases in which a witness summons or special measures are requested, or the number and proportion of applications which were subsequently granted. Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions: ICT

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of prosecutors using computerised prosecution court files; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has made substantial progress in implementing digital working with other Criminal Justice agencies. Almost all police forces are now transferring over 90% of case files electronically.   Between October 2014 and June 2015 the CPS has issued 5,576 mobile devices, meaning that 92% of staff now have such a device.   The CPS is introducing a ‘Prosecutor App’ for advocates in the magistrates’ court. This is designed to make preparing for, prosecuting and recording hearings easier for prosecutors and provide administrative teams with timely information to record hearing outcomes.  Savings and efficiencies are being made through business process change, headcount reductions and reduced printing and transport of paper. By the end of 2015-16, the CPS estimates that savings of approximately £30million per annum will be achieved.

Ministry of Justice

Coroners: Training

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to improve faith and cultural training for coroners to assist in the (a) timely dealing with deaths, (b) type of post mortem used and (c) process for the release of the body for burial for those from minority faith groups.

Caroline Dinenage: The Chief Coroner has responsibility under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for the training of coroners and coroner’s officers and all coroners are now required to attend compulsory training provided by the Judicial College. The Judicial College also produces an Equal Treatment Bench Book which provides advice and guidance to judicial office holders (including coroners) to enable them to deal confidently, sensitively and fairly with all those who appear before them and includes a section on religion and belief. I am also continuing work to make sure bereaved people are at the very heart of the coroner system – it is paramount that the services are there to help the whole community. The review of coroner services that I have recently announced will be important in achieving this.

Youth Custody

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young offenders in custody (a) committed suicide and (b) self-harmed in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Selous: We are committed to protecting the safety of young people in custody. All establishments who hold young people are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support young people who are at risk of harm to themselves. There were six self-inflicted deaths in under-18 custody between 2005 and 2014. Statistics on self-harm in youth custody are provided in Chapter 8 of the Youth Justice Statistics publication, published annually in January. The most recent statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-justice-annual-statistics-2013-to-2014).

Pre-sentence Reports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) fast and (b) part delivery pre-sentence reports were prepared in the latest year for which information is available for offenders with (i) no, (ii) one to 14, (iii) 15 to 49, (iv) 50 to 99 and (v) 100 or more previous convictions.

Andrew Selous: There are only two types of pre-sentence report which the Probation Service will provide to the Court – a Fast Delivery Report (FDR) and a Standard Delivery Report (SDR). Both the FDR and the SDR are informed by a full risk and an offence analysis; in the case of the more prolific offenders with a FDR, that will be a recent assessment, so that a fresh one does not need to be completed as part of the pre-sentence advice provided to the Court. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is working to improve the quality of information held on the national case management system – NDelius. However, neither NDelius nor the Offender Assessment System (OASys) holds information to answer the precise terms of this question.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for burglary was for an individual convicted of a further burglary offence; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous convictions for sexual offences was for an individual convicted of a further such offence; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence.

Andrew Selous: Whilst crime is falling, offenders committing serious offences are more likely to go to prison and for longer. Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, taking into account all the facts of each case. Where the offender has recent and relevant previous convictions this is a statutory aggravating factor which should increase the severity of the sentence. In addition, since December 2012 an automatic life sentence applies to any offender convicted of a second very serious sexual crime. Also, a third conviction for a domestic burglary has a minimum sentence of three years’ imprisonment. The highest number of previous convictions for burglary for an individual convicted of a further burglary offence, and the highest number of previous convictions for sexual offences for an individual convicted of a further sexual offence, and the sentences imposed for the most recent offence are contained in the table below. Table 1: The highest number of previous convictions1,2 of an offender convicted of the same offence and the sentence received for the most recent offence in England and Wales, 2014   Offence typeHighest number of previous convictions for same offence typeSentence received for most recent offence   Burglary67Immediate Custody   Sexual Offences19Suspended Sentence  Data Source: Ministry of Justice copy of the Police National Computer   1. Figures are based on counting the number of occasions on which offenders have previously received a conviction recorded on the Police National Computer, including some offences committed outside of England and Wales. Where there were multiple offences on the same occassion, only the primary offence as recorded on the Police National Computer would be counted.2. All data have been taken from the MoJ extract of the Police National Computer. This includes details of all convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings given for recordable offences (see www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1139/schedule/made for definition). It is therefore possible that some offenders presented in the table above have previously also received convictions for offences not recorded on the PNC.3. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and are subject to revision in future. The offender who received a suspended sentence for the latest sexual offence committed has previously received numerous immediate custodial sentences.

Human Rights Act 1998: British Overseas Territories

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on British Overseas Territories of the repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Dominic Raab: We will consider the implications of our Human Rights reform on the British Overseas Territories as we develop our proposals, and we will fully consult on our proposals.

Wills

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to promote the making of wills; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The law of succession is devolved in Northern Ireland. My Department promoted the making of wills in England and Wales as part of a public awareness raising campaign during March this year. Choice Not Chance used traditional and social media to highlight the benefits of making a will and the consequences of not doing so. The key messages and digital material continue to be used by stakeholders and we will continue to push the importance of making a will via our social media channels.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provisions for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for a person injured as a result of an attack by a dangerous dog where the animal was not used with intent to cause injury; and if he will bring forward proposals to amend legislation on that matter.

Mike Penning: In 2012, following the “Getting It Right for Victims and Witnesses” consultation, the Coalition government revised the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme so that awards are made only to victims who suffer serious physical or mental injury as the direct result of deliberate violent crime. We remain satisfied that the Scheme is appropriately directed at compensating eligible victims of crimes of violence and that provisions within the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are adequate to tackle the issue of dangerous dogs.

Fines: Surcharges

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was raised from the victim surcharge in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: We want criminals to properly pay for their crimes. For this reason, in October 2012 the victim surcharge was increased on fines and extended to ensure offenders contribute towards victims’ services. The following table sets out the amount raised from the Victim Surcharge annually since 2010. Financial yearVictim Surcharge raised2010-11£10.5m2011-12£10.3m2012-13£10.5m2013-14£19.5m2014-15£24.6m

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employees of (a) his Department, (b) its executive agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible had an annual salary of over £100,000 in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The number of employees in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies (Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Legal Aid Agency) that earned a full-time equivalent (FTE) salary of over £100,000 in each year since 2010 is as follows  DateNumber of employees earning FTE salary in excess of £100,000201138201231201324201429201530This information is based on payroll reports from 31 January of each year requested, as payroll reports reflect the end of month position and is the nearest date to 1 February. On 1 February 2015, 11 NOMS staff were earning in excess of £100,000. The Legal Aid Agency became an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice on 1 April 2013. Staff in Legal Aid Agency would not have been included in the previous years.

Prisons

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) recorded violent incidents there were and (b) prison officers worked at (i) Wakefield and (ii) New Hall prison in each of the last five years and this year to date.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service is committed to running safe establishments.Violence of any kind in prison is not tolerated and all assaults are treated extremely seriously.Assault incidents are published in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics (to December 2014) last published in April 2015, at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/424982/safety-in-custody-assaults-dec-14.xls, see table 3.14 which provides the assault figures by prison. Prisoner Officer statistics are published in the NOMS Workforce Bulletin, last published in May 2015, at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics, see table 10 which provides the prison officer figures by prison.

Wills: Regulation

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to introduce further regulation of the making of wills; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Following a formal proposal made by the Legal Services Board (LSB), on 14 May 2013 the Lord Chancellor issued a Decision Notice, confirming that he had decided not to make will writing a reserved legal activity under the Legal Services Act 2007. In the Decision Notice, the Lord Chancellor indicated that further efforts should be made to see if alternatives to regulation could be made more effective in reducing consumer detriment in relation to will writing. Since then, the LSB has encouraged measures to reduce consumer detriment and improve standards, in both the regulated and unregulated legal service sectors. The Solicitors Regulation Authority issued guidance for solicitors on will-writing in May 2014, and those in the unregulated sector, including will writing trade bodies, have met with the LSB to work to improve coverage and effectiveness of voluntary schemes and codes.

Human Trafficking: Convictions

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders (a) cautioned and (b) proceeded against in Magistrates' Courts have been found guilty and sentenced for human trafficking in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: The Modern Slavery Act 2015 consolidated and simplified existing modern slavery offences into one Act and increased the maximum sentence available for the most serious offenders from 14 years to life imprisonment. The 2015 Act also introduced Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders and Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders to restrict the activity of individuals where they pose a risk of causing harm. In addition, the Act makes sure that that perpetrators convicted of slavery or trafficking face the toughest asset confiscation regime. The Act also establishes the UK’s first ever Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner to drive forward the law enforcement response and hold them to account at all levels, ensuring that the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted and that the victims are swiftly identified so they can get help. The number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts in England and Wales for (i) human trafficking for sexual exploitation and (ii) human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation, from 2012 to 2014, can be viewed in the Outcomes by Offence table in the most recent annual publication at the below linkhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Reviews

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what cross-departmental reviews are being undertaken by his Department; and what the extent and nature of the engagement with the devolved administrations is for each such review.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Procurement

Ian Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides to other departments on the publication of OGC Gateway Reviews.

Matthew Hancock: Requests for Major Projects Authority reports are considered on a case by case basis, with the underlying understanding that reviews need to take place within a safe space, without the expectation of imminent publication, to be sufficiently probing and effective.

Youth Services: Expenditure

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) absolute and (b) proportionate change in expenditure per capita on youth services was in each local authority area between 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Mr Rob Wilson: Information on youth service expenditure by local authority is collected by the Department for Education and published on GOV.UK. Data is not collected on a per capita basis.

Minimum Wage: Woking

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees were paid the minimum wage in Woking constituency in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of employees were paid less than the living wage in (a) Woking constituency and (b) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 127.44 KB)

Young People: Pay

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people between the ages of 16 and 24 in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK earning less than £7.20 per hour.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 74.27 KB)

Employment: Females

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the proportion of the female workforce in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK employed by companies which have more than 250 employees.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 131.25 KB)

Capita

Sir Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the performance of Capita in administering the recruitment of the Civil Service Apprenticeship Scheme.

Sir Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many complaints have been logged by his Department on the performance of Capita in relation to their administration of the recruitment of the Civil Service Apprenticeship Scheme.

Sir Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mechanisms his Department has for gauging the performance of Capita in relation to its administration of the recruitment of the Civil Service Apprenticeship Scheme.

Sir Alan Duncan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has received on the removal of the contract for Civil Service Apprenticeship recruitment from Capita.

Matthew Hancock: The contract with Capita for the administration of the recruitment for the Civil Service Apprenticeship Scheme is in line with standard practice and includes clauses for measuring and managing supplier delivery and performance. The Department has received 1 formal complaint in relation to the performance of this contract in the last year and no other representations have been received.

Government Departments: Staff

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff of all Government departments were based in each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 64.63 KB)




Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.69 KB)

Pay: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people between the ages of 16 and 24 in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) Leeds earning less than £7.20 per hour.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 74.72 KB)

Population: Children

Mr John Baron: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) boys aged (i) 12 and (ii) 13 years and (b) girls aged (i) 12 and (ii) 13 years there will be in the UK in each year to 2025.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 92.72 KB)

Leukaemia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been diagnosed with leukaemia in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Reply
(PDF Document, 118.15 KB)

Public Service: Corruption

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's article in the Huffington Post, published on 6 June 2015, what the source is for the Prime Minister's statement that the OECD has judged the UK to be one of only four countries globally which actively pursues bribery of foreign public officials.

Matthew Hancock: The OECD collects data on enforcement from all 41 members of the convention on bribery of foreign public officials. Transparency International’s ‘Exporting Corruption’ report, last published in December 2014, ranked the UK as an ‘active enforcer’ against foreign bribery, together with Germany, the United States of America and Switzerland.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

4G/TV Co-existence Oversight Board

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what work the 4G/TV Coexistence Oversight Board has undertaken since its inception.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The 4G/TV Coexistence Oversight Board was set up by DCMS in April 2013 and ​has overseen efforts to mitigate any interference to Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) caused by the rollout of 4G (superfast mobile internet) in the 800MHz spectrum band. A small minority of DTT ​viewers have reported issues to the help scheme run by Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited (DMSL), which operates as “at800”.The Board monitors the performance of at800 for core functions including DTT/Freeview service restoration, timely awareness of potential issues and the existence of the assistance scheme and quality of service. The Board’s activities have led to improved modelling of interference, more targeted communications and a higher standard of assistance for those affected. Further information about the Board including monthly reports is published on the gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/4gtv-co-existence-oversight-board.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2015 to Question 2031, on telecommunications, if he will publish the results of the 2015 review; and if he will make it his policy to carry out that review independently.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The first annual review of the Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy will be completed by April 2016. Decisions will be taken in due course on how it is carried out.

Destination Management Organisations

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what work the Destination Management Organisation has undertaken since its inception.

Tracey Crouch: Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) manage tourism at the local level, engaging in activities wider than just marketing the local destination. They are required to have a destination management plan which is a shared statement of intent to manage the destination over a period of time, setting out the roles of all stakeholders, and identifying the actions they will take and the apportionment of resources. DMOs are accountable to local partners for delivery against their plans.

Gaming Machines: Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what research his Department has commissioned on the potential harm caused by fixed odds betting terminals in Scotland.

Tracey Crouch: The Government has not commissioned research specific to Scotland.The Responsible Gambling Trust published the largest piece of research into gambling related harm on FOBTs in Great Britain last December. The Gambling Commission, as the statutory advisor to the Government published its advice on the conclusions of the research as well as next steps in March this year. This amounted to industry monitoring and evaluating its player protection efforts; to conduct further research into problem gambling and to persuade customers to move to an account based system so that more intelligent interventions can be made using statistical analysis of customer spend.The previous Government introduced regulations that ended unsupervised stakes over £50 on B2 gaming machines. We want to wait for the evaluation of these regulations before we consider further legislative changes.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2039, on telecommunications, whether his Department plans to publish the Ofcom Communications Review discussion document before 21 July 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom is an independent regulator and as such it is a matter for it to decide what to publish and when. The Terms of Reference of the Ofcom Strategic Review of Digital Communications, published by Ofcom on 12 March 2015, state that a public discussion document will be published in Summer 2015.

ICT: North of England

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what outputs have been delivered under the TechNorth programme since its announcement on 23 October 2014; how many officials are working on delivery of that scheme; what key performance indicators have been set for that programme; and how much public funding has been allocated under that programme to date.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Tech North, part of the Tech City UK network, was created to catalyse the development of a thriving ecosystem for digital businesses in the North of England, advocate for the region's digital entrepreneurs in the North of England, and optimise the environment for digital businesses in the largest seven cities of the north east, west and Yorkshire.The Tech North programme is delivered by Tech City UK. Tech City UK is in the process of setting up Tech North and has recruited eight members of the planned ten person delivery team since the announcement on 23rd October 2014. They are developing a delivery plan in close co-operation with the northern digital community. No officials are involved with the delivery of the scheme directly.The key performance indicators will be agreed in due course. Tech City UK will look to measure the impact of the programme on the digital economy across a range of economic indicators including measurements against investment, employment and the number of start-ups and scale-ups.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the name, responsibilities and pay band are of each special adviser in his Department.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

Broadband: Finance

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 1.318, of Summer Budget 2015, to what ends the Government plans to spend the £10 million for broadband in addition to the existing rural rollout programme.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The £10 million fund will provide support for ultrafast broadband in the South West, to improve connectivity in that part of the UK.

Public Buildings: WiFi

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public buildings have been provided with free public wifi in each of the super-connected cities.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The number of public buildings which have received Wi-Fi in each of the Super Connected cities is listed in the table below.CityBuildingsAberdeen31Belfast91Birmingham192Brighton and Hove47Cambridge64Cardiff150Derby39Derry/Londonderry53Edinburgh67Leeds-Bradford147London79Manchester123Newcastle0Newport43Oxford40Perth9Portsmouth77Salford84York25Total1361

Broadband: Finance

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what forecast he has made of how much of the BBC licence fee will be allocated to broadband rollout by the end of that rollout.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The rollout of superfast broadband is on track and an excellent progress has been made, 40,000 premises are being connected each week. To date £780m has been allocated from the TV licence fee ​to support ​the roll out of superfast ​broadband ​to 95% of homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2017.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any of the BBC's funding for rural broadband rollout has been allocated to extending superfast broadband to households without such broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The rollout of superfast broadband is on track and an excellent progress has been made. The Government is committed to achieving 95% coverage of homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2017. Funding from the TV licence fee has been allocated to support delivery of superfast broadband to premises which would not otherwise have had coverage. It will also support delivery of the government's commitment to ensure that all premises have access to basic broadband with speeds of at least 2Mbps by the end of 2015.

Mobile Phones

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of reforming the Electronic Communications Code to grant mobile network operators enhanced rights to share sites to improve mobile voice and data coverage.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Department received a total of 153 responses to the consultation on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code. My officials are currently analysing these responses and I will respond in due course. The Government remains committed to delivering a reformed Code that is clear and fit for purpose, and support UK networks to provide consumers with a choice of high quality telecommunications services.

Mobile Phones: Rural Areas

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what reforms to the Electronic Communications Code his Department is proposing to improve the ability of mobile network operators to increase mobile voice and data coverage in rural areas.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Consultation on the reform of the Code closed on 30 April 2015. I currently have my officials analysing all of the responses and we will publish a response in due course. The Government aims to reform the current Code to promote network connectivity, expand coverage and take into account the legitimate interests of all parties.

Public Libraries: WiFi

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2015 to Question 5223, on public libraries: wifi, if he will place the list referred to in that Answer in the Library before the House rises for the summer recess.

Mr Edward Vaizey: A copy of the list of libraries without WiFi, referred to in Question HC5223 on 6 July, will be placed in the Library before the House rises for the summer recess.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2033, what estimate his Department has made of the number of companies that would be affected by raising the universal service obligation to 5 mbps; and what the names of those companies are.

Mr Edward Vaizey: With Government's support, 95% of the country will have superfast broadband by the end of 2017. We are taking a detailed look at the impact of options to ensure that no one is left behind - including the feasibility of a broadband Universal Service Obligation. If the Government chooses to pursue this option, following public consultation, it will be for Ofcom to designate the provider or providers.

Local Press: Non-domestic Rates

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with local authorities on business rates relief for local newspapers.

Mr Edward Vaizey: No discussions have been held by this Department with local authorities on business rates relief for local newspapers.

Sportsgrounds: Cornwall

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 1.320 of the Summer Budget 2015, whether the Government plans to provide financial support for the building of a new stadium in Cornwall.

Tracey Crouch: Government supports the plans for a stadium in Cornwall. It would be a great boost to tourism, the local economy and help encourage more people to play and watch sport. The current private sector proposal is very strong and we hope will be successful subject to planning permission. Planning decisions are a matter for the local Council which will report in due course.

Local Press: Non-domestic Rates

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has sought legal advice on whether business rates relief for local newspapers complies with State Aid rules.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Our consultation provides the opportunity for local newspapers to make the case for business rates relief. The consultation makes clear that, should we accept that there is a case for supporting local newspapers through the business rates system, any relief granted would be under state aid de minimis rules.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Catering

Harry Harpham: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many staff in catering outlets on the Parliamentary Estate are employed on zero-hour contracts.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons does not offer new members of staff zero-hours contracts, and guarantees work for all its employees. There are two members of staff currently working under casual contracts in Catering Services, whose appointments pre-date this policy. They have been offered, but have declined, guaranteed hours employment contracts.The arrangements in the House of Lords are a matter for the Administration of that House.

Parliament: Catering

Harry Harpham: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, whether tips paid by credit or debit cards in catering outlets on the Parliamentary Estate are passed on to staff in addition to their wages.

Tom Brake: Tips paid by debit and credit cards are passed on to permanent front-of-house catering staff in addition to their wages.

Divisions: Technology

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what electronic upgrades to the recording of divisions in the House (a) have been made since 2010 and (b) are under preparation in connection with proposed changes to the standing orders on English votes on English laws.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how much has been spent on electronic upgrades to the recording of divisions in the House in each of the last two financial years.

Tom Brake: Accurate recording of divisions and timely publication of division lists are critical business activities of the House of Commons. The House Service has been investigating means of electronic recording of divisions since October 2014, with a view to improving the timely publication of division lists, making division data more accessible to the public and easier to analyse, and improving accuracy. The House of Lords recently moved to recording divisions on tablet devices. A trial was held in the House in March 2015 in which seven divisions were recorded in part by division clerks on tablet devices. Full implementation of tablet recording of divisions is expected to take place later in the current Session. This change had been planned before the announcement of the Government’s proposals for English votes for English laws, although the use of tablets would make it easier and quicker to provide the results of divisions taken under the proposed ‘double-majority’ system. In 2013/14 the amount spent on electronic upgrades to the recording of divisions was zero. In 2014/15, the amount spent on electronic upgrades to the recording of divisions was £9,900. This included £5,000 for the cost of developing software and £4,900 for purchasing the tablet devices referred to above. The work on the project is not yet complete, but the total amount spent to date in 2015/16 is £6,700. This includes £5,000 for purchasing tablet devices and £1,700 to modify the software to enable the tablets to provide the results of divisions taken under the proposed ‘double-majority’ system.